


Too Early

by AgelessReaper



Category: Marvel
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:56:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 85,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29607033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgelessReaper/pseuds/AgelessReaper
Summary: An SI/OC wakes up in an MCU hybrid way before Thanos, and joins up with the Ancient One. He begins to muck everything up once he leaves.Be warned, there's a lot of time skips in this story.
Relationships: Selene/Emma Frost/OC
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once more, I apologize for the formatting. I had some free time, and it was either post this, or start fixing EG. I chose to go with this. Hope you all have a good one!

“Please, sir.” I begged the portly asian man standing in the doorway. “Please just let me talk to her. I’m willing to wait, and if she deems it necessary, I’ll leave.”  
The man looked down at me with a considerate expression. I must have been quite the sight for him, it’s not often that you see a black haired, brown eyed, fourteen year old kid in beat up clothes acting as I do, or to hear them speaking as I speak. But then again, I’m not a normal fourteen year old am I?  
Come to a decision, the man stepped to the side of the door, and motioned for me to enter. “You will wait in the sitting room until she is available. I trust I do not need to warn you not to try anything?”  
I nodded as I hurried through the door. “Yes sir. You don’t need to worry about me doing anything.” I guess in his line of work, this isn’t quite so strange after all. Maybe he thinks I’m possessed by some sort of ancient demon? Or maybe he just thinks I’m some interdimensional monstrosity? He technically wouldn’t be wrong on the second count.  
He led me through the entry chamber and into a simple sitting room. There was a small, bare table atop a rug with four sitting mats arranged around it, and the whole of the room was lined with bookshelves that hold both books, and strange artifacts.  
I sat down and crossed my legs atop one of the mats, then settled in to wait.  
The man regarded me for a moment longer, before he exited the room through a side passage, leaving me alone.  
Well, presumably leaving me alone. I doubt I’d ever truly be alone in this place, it’s much too important to the world.  
Surprisingly, I didn’t need to wait long before I heard a feminine voice originating from the direction the asian man walked off in.  
“Welcome young man. I was told you wished to speak with me?” A bald woman in pure white robes said as she walked into the room.  
I turned on my mat to get a good look at her, and couldn’t help it as I gulped.  
This, above everything else, confirmed where I was. This was actually happening.  
The woman sat down across from me, and smiled widely as she motioned to the table. “Tea?”  
Where before the table stood empty, there was now a simple tea set sat atop it which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.  
“Yes please.” I managed to get out, though my voice cracked on the ‘please’.  
The woman hummed quietly, and set about pouring the tea into two separate cups. She set one in front of me, and took the second for herself. After taking a short sip from her glass, her eyes returned to me. “Now, what is it you wished to discuss?”  
I swallowed once more as I prepared to speak.  
This was it, my one chance. If I messed it up, I had no idea what I was going to do. Actually, I did know what would happen. I would either become collateral damage, or die of age before anything of import happened as nothing but a footnote in history.  
Just like last time.  
“Ma’am,” I began. “I am going to be completely forthright with you. Even in your profession, this may seem far fetched and unbelievable, but I swear to you, that I am telling the truth.”  
The woman set her cup down as her eyes hardened, her smile flattening into a line. She didn’t speak, merely motioned for me to continue.  
Taking in one last deep breath, I began. “My name is Robert and I was reincarnated into this world fourteen years ago after having lived for two decades.”  
The bald woman didn’t seem shocked by my proclamation, she simply took up her cup once more and sipped her tea. She placed the cup back onto the table and said, “While that is unusual, it does not explain how you knew to come here. Were you a student of mine in your past life?”  
I shook my head. “No. I did not even live in this world in my last life. The explanation for how I knew to come here will be the truly unbelievable part of the story.”  
The corner of the woman’s lip pulled upwards. “While I can appreciate your ability to build dramatic tension, I would prefer if you got to the point.”  
I nodded quickly. “Of course. I know of this world, and therefore you, because in my old world it existed as a collection of stories. I also know several events that will happen both in the near and far future as a result of this.”  
The slightest tilt of the head was all I had to know my words affected the woman.  
“I must say,” She began. “I have no experience dealing with a situation like this, nor have I ever heard of such before.” She crossed her fingers together, and set her hands in her lap. “I’m curious, why come to me with this knowledge? If what you claim is true, then surely there would be something better for you to do with your knowledge?”  
I shrunk in on myself. “Not really. While I do know of some events that will transpire soon, I am in no position to influence them at all, and everything else of importance I know of won’t happen for over seventy years. I’ll be dead long before I would be able to do anything about them.”  
“That answered my second question, but not the first. Why did you come to me?” She repeated.  
“Because I need your help.” I said as I looked up at her pleadingly. “I want you to train me, or if not you, one of the masters under you. I want to learn magic, and I want to be able to help protect the world in seventy years when everything goes down. I don’t want to fade away with no one to remember me like last time.”  
“If you know of this world, then you know that I am the only immortal among the sorcerers. How do you intend to live to see these events that are over half a century away?”  
I looked around us, and while my eyes didn’t find anyone, that did not necessarily mean we were alone. “Is there anyone watching this conversation?” I asked the woman.  
“Two of my students are viewing us from a distance.” She said matter of factly.  
“What I’m about to say shouldn’t be heard by anyone other than you.”  
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and my heart almost stopped beating as I remembered just who this woman was, and exactly what she was capable of.  
“I swear I mean you no harm.” I said quickly. “You should be able to tell that I’m incapable of even trying to hurt you, but I can’t keep talking without knowing no one else will hear, or else the damage done could be irreparable.”  
She held my gaze for a long time, and only when she gave me a nod did I allow myself to breathe again.  
“Very well, my students are no longer watching over us. Say what it is you need to say.”  
I bowed my head. “Thank you. I know how you are able to be immortal, and I know that the method is replicable. I was hoping that after I had gained your trust, you would teach me how to access the dark dimension as you do.”  
The woman’s entire body tensed, and her gaze sharpened like a dagger. A stark change from the minimalist woman who originally sat down before me.  
I had to grip my beat up pant legs tight to avoid trembling in terror under her scrutiny. It was a dangerous game I was playing, but I had no choice. This was the only way I could conceivably last long enough to matter, and she would only be able to trust me if I was one-hundred percent open from the start.  
After what felt like an eternity, the woman relaxed, and regarded me in a new light. “I can’t say how you know so much, so your tale has begun to grow more believable, but why would I ever allow you what you ask? For what purpose would you use this power?”  
“I would save the world.” I answered immediately. “I would stand as one of Earth’s greatest protectors as you have for centuries. I won’t deny that my want to live longer is selfish, when I died last time, I hadn’t accomplished anything. I won’t let that happen twice. I will make a difference in this life.”  
“But will that difference be for good or ill?” The woman asked levelly.  
“Good. I want to stop a madman from destroying half the universe, and save as many lives as possible. I’m not naive enough to think you’ll teach me how to access the dark dimension just because I asked nicely, I am fully prepared to prove myself to you in any way you need me to.”  
The woman scrutinized me a moment longer, then a soft smile graced her features. “Your heart is in the right place Robert, but whether or not you are worthy of the power you ask remains to be seen. You will have the chance to prove yourself.”  
My jaw fell open in shock. “You mean…?”  
She nodded to me. “I will accept you as a student of the mystic arts. While I will train you personally from time to time, the bulk of your instruction will be seen to by the other masters. My responsibilities will keep me too busy to focus every moment of my time upon a single student.”  
I bowed my head so low it was almost resting upon the table. “Thank you! I won’t let you down!”  
The woman hummed quietly. “Do you need to say goodbye to your parents?”  
My good mood soured a little. “They’re both dead. Have been for a week. I’m on my own now.” They died in a car accident driving to one of their ‘dates’. Shouting match was more accurate.  
“I am sorry for your loss.” She said softly.  
“Thanks, but we weren’t very close. Neither of them were home much, and frankly they weren’t the best parents. I don’t know how I’d have turned out if I didn’t have my old life’s experiences to draw upon.”  
I really had no idea how I’d have fared. Mom worked at a gentlemen's club, and dad was a deadbeat drunk. Depending on their mood, I’d either go to work with mom, stay with a coworker of dad’s, or just stay home alone. It’s a damn good thing that I got control of my body early on, things might have gone poorly had I not.  
“I am sorry you had to live such a life, but you will have a home now.” The woman said comfortingly. “Please come with me.” She rose to her feet, and motioned for me to follow her.  
I stood up, and fell into step behind her. She walked slow to allow my small legs to keep up with her.  
She led the way through the building, past more bookshelves filled with more books and artifacts, past great statues and paintings, and to a large green door at the end of a hall. The woman opened the door, and we both stepped through into a circular chamber.  
When I did so, I felt the entire atmosphere change. On the other side of the threshold, the air had been slightly dry and cold, but here, the air was warm and moist.  
The door closed on its own behind us, and the woman led me through a door opposite the one we just exited. It opened over a stone courtyard, which itself stood over a vast mountain range leading off into the horizon.  
The woman took in my awed expression, and smiled down at me. “Welcome, Robert, to Kamar-Taj.”  
“Thank you, Ancient One.”


	2. 2

When I was born into this world, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Well, except for the fact that I was alive again, and somehow an infant, but other than that, things seemed normal. I was, from what I was able to determine, born nearly one-hundred years into the past of my old world, a revelation which was accompanied by both ambition and humor. After all, if this was my world’s past, then I would be able to revolutionize just about everything.  
I was an accomplished engineer in my first life, more specifically a mechanical engineering, meaning I had a solid foundation in all of the sciences, and the practical know-how to apply that knowledge to solve problems. I was setting myself up to be a name more well known than Tesla, someone who would truly revolutionize the entire world.   
Even with the two sorry excuses for parents that birthed me, I had the potential to become something great. Well, ‘parents’ is a generous term. Sperm and egg donors would be more accurate. To them, I was nothing more than an inconvenient reminder that they were stuck in a loveless relationship that they both abhorred.  
I didn’t let it bother me though. In my old life, I was no stranger to turning the other cheek and moving on with my life. I wasn't going to let those two decide my fate. I was going to be someone. I wouldn’t be forgotten like I was before.  
I was so taken with this image of myself, that I began researching everything I could about the field I would throw myself into. I sought out information about the current level of technology, about the recent advances in science, and the current leaders in the field. The third area was where all of my ambitions crashed and burned.  
It was something so simple as a single name. Howard Stark.  
At first, I didn’t let myself believe it. Sure, he was listed as an unparalleled young genius, but surely it was a coincidence right?   
Then I heard about a play coming to town. A show starring one Captain America.  
I’m grateful I hadn’t had time to age too significantly, because I swear I would have had a heart attack if that were the case.  
Suddenly, what was an easy second life became a nightmare of epic proportions.  
Now sure, I could have just stepped aside, and gone with my original plan. I was born too early for any of the more unsavory events to even have a hope of affecting me, but could I really die content knowing that I could have done something to stop an insane purple man that thought the best way to fix a TV was to throw it into an erupting volcano?  
No.  
I was going to be something right? What’s better than a hero?  
Of course, this plan required that I not only be able to fight on even footing with the mad titan, but that I actually live long enough to be around when he finally came knocking.  
Luckily, I happened to live in New York.  
That wouldn’t mean anything to someone unfamiliar with the setting, but to me? It was the answer I was looking for.  
I was too early for Extremis, too late for the super soldier serum, and I was pretty sure I had no hope of discovering a hidden X gene in my blood. It was possible there were other avenues to immortality available for the picking, but while I was a big nerd in my past life, I didn’t watch or follow most of the extended MCU, or most comics either. I had no way of knowing if and where any of those objects or powers would be, meaning I wasn’t in a position to acquire them either. I was, however, positioned perfectly to learn magic.  
So it is that I came to be here, in a small stone room with a simple bed and desk, feeling as if I was on top of the world.  
Not only did the Ancient One believe me, but she had agreed to train me.  
Now, I wasn’t an idiot, so I knew the Ancient One isn’t an idiot. There was no way she’d even consider teaching me how to draw from the dark dimension like she does, and she likely didn’t trust me at all. It was probably just more convenient for her if I was where she could keep an eye on me, and where I could tell her what I knew.  
I knew she wasn’t evil, but she was Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. She’d be willing to do a lot to safeguard the planet, which meant I needed to prove myself quickly.  
I changed into the plain white robes laid out on the floor-surprisingly they fit my small frame like a glove, probably magic mumbo jumbo-and exited my room.  
The Ancient One had given me some time to compose myself, but now I was due for another meeting with her. I wasn’t nearly as nervous for this one as I was for our first meeting, but I still had some nerves. It’s the Ancient One for crying out loud.  
As I walked through the halls, I passed over a dozen students all wearing various colored robes. Each of them looked shocked to see a child moving through the halls of Kamar-Taj, in apprentice robes no less.  
If the rumor mill here is anything like I expect, then by dinner time tonight everyone will have heard about me. Joy.  
Putting the dread of large amounts of human interaction out of my mind, I hurried to where the Ancient One was waiting.  
I arrived in a room I had never seen before, yet still recognized. It was the same room she met Stephen Strange in when he first arrived at Kamar-Taj.  
She smiled widely at me as I entered, a teacup held in her hand. “Hello Robert. Are you settling in well?”  
I nodded and sat down across from her. “Yes thank you. What can I do for you?”  
She chuckled warmly and set her cup down. “It’s not what I want from you, but what I may do for you.” She stood, and motioned for me to do the same.  
I joined her in the center of the room, and waited expectantly.  
“I typically say something profound before doing this, but I feel anything I say would fail to move a man who has lived twice. Therefore…” She planted her feet and slammed her open palm into my chest.  
I gasped as I was struck, and soon I was watching my body fall in slow motion. I looked down, and could see through my hands. My spectral lips formed into a wide grin.  
Cool.  
I attempted to float around the room, but I was suddenly pulled through a bronze rimmed portal.  
Impossible shapes, mind-bending creatures, and feral worlds tumbled past my vision as my astral form was thrown through the multiverse at breakneck speeds. I would see something only to be thrown to the next, never given a moment to process.  
Purple flowers, a wheel made from color, a rusting blade, a dying horse, titan-like creatures that rearranged the landscape with each step. It was too much information for my meager mortal mind to process.  
After an eternity, that was simultaneously no time at all, I crashed back into my body and inhaled deeply. I looked up from my place lying flat on my back as I panted, trying to grow used to being able to feel again.  
“Do not rush.” The Ancient One said from above where she observed me. “You are safe, take whatever time you need to process.”  
I took her advice, and proceeded to spend the next fifteen minutes lying in a heap as I screwed my head back on.  
Eventually, reality became bearable, and I stumbled to my feet. “That was… an experience.”  
The Ancient One smiled at me. “You coped with it well. Several students who have now become masters did not recover nearly as fast as you have. Perhaps it is due to your experience crossing dimensions?”  
“I don’t know. I wasn’t exactly aware of the transition last time.” I answer as my equilibrium rights itself.  
She hums softly. “I suppose we shall see, though you should rest first. Be awake at dawn, that is when your lessons will begin.”  
Taking the dismissal for what it was, I bowed my head towards her, and shakily made my way from the room.  
That was not what I was expecting. I mean, I knew Dr. Strange had to go through the same thing, but he didn’t nearly pass out afterwards right? Then again, he’s a once in a millennium mystical genius, something I assuredly was not. Although if the Ancient One was right about my reincarnation making me more….dimensionally flexible, maybe I had a chance to grow stronger than I originally thought?  
A spike of pain drove its way through my head, and I winced.  
Ok. Think about this later when the effects from the weird dimension walk have faded.  
I make it back to my small room, and crawl into bed.  
I’m out like a light the moment my head hits the pillow.

I awoke the next morning to no pain. The pain and discomfort from my astral journey was gone, and I was honestly feeling better than I had in a long while. Maybe the bed was enchanted with super sleep aids or something. I wouldn’t know, I only just got here.  
I climbed out of bed and got dressed. The Ancient One said my lessons would start today, and I didn’t want to be late. I mean, it was literal magic. Even without having the threat of a certain golden gauntleted asshole hanging over me, I still would be ecstatic about this. It was magic.  
Not sure where I needed to go, or exactly what time it was, I opened my door with the intention to ask someone for directions. I needn’t have bothered. There was a simple piece of paper taped to the door that read, Go to the main courtyard, past the receiving room you were in yesterday.  
Simple enough instructions.  
I walked through the halls, and was surprised by the number of people who were already awake. I saw several groups of robed trainees moving through exercises when I looked out various windows.  
I didn’t expect so many people to be awake at this hour, but I suppose this is an isolated mountain monastery full of mystical warrior monks. Seeing said warrior monks wake up early to train isn’t that surprising. Especially when you take into account exactly what it is they have to fight. Dimensional horrors are not for the faint of heart.  
Following the instructions from the paper, I walked past the room where the Ancient One sent me through the multiverse, and followed the hall out into a large stone courtyard. The courtyard was built into a square with a cherry blossom tree set in the middle. A group of white robed apprentices was gathered off to one side of the yard as they went through a regime of stretches as a green robed man, whom I assumed to be a master, watched. He had dark skin, and a scar that ran down his nose between his eyes.  
He looked in my direction as I stepped out into the open air of the courtyard. “You are Robert?”  
I nod. “Yes master. I was told to come here for training.”  
He looked me up and down, his face remaining impassive which prevented me from even guessing at what his impression of me was.  
“I am Master Abara. I will be your teacher until you graduate to the next level of study. Join your fellow apprentices, they will lead you through your warm up.” He ordered, then went back to observing the group.  
I bowed my head towards the master, then hurried to follow his command.  
As I walked up to the other students, I became acutely aware of the fact that five sets of eyes were staring at me.   
Ok, this is fine. I’ve dealt with social situations before, I can do this.  
“Hello.” I greeted them as I joined their group. “My name is Robert.”  
There was a beat of silence, before a woman with brown hair spoke up. “I’m Charlotte.” She said with a thick british accent. “That’s Oliver, Max, Aika, and Haru.” She motioned to each person as she named them.  
The four grumbled greetings, then went back to stretching. Seemingly doing their best to ignore me.  
I guess the kid would have some trouble fitting in. Oh well, I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to learn.  
Since none of them seemed interested in leading me through their warm-up exercise, I did my best to copy their motions, and just did my own warm-up where that failed.  
“Enough.” Master Abara called out to us after we were all warm. “We shall begin. Begin the kata.”  
The other students fell into a practiced stance, and started moving through a kata.  
I was a black belt in karate in my last life, but none of the muscle memory passed over with me, so while I could follow them, I was sloppy.  
Master Abara walked up behind me and adjusted my feet and my chamber hand. “Ensure you are able to maintain your balance.” He ordered before moving on to the next student.  
I kept his advice in mind, and continued to follow my fellow students through the kata.

Against my expectations, I spent half of the day moving through katas under Master Abara’s watchful eye. I didn’t expect to be able to use a sling ring on day one, but I guess I expected to do something more….mystical.  
I refuse to complain though. You have to start somewhere, and the mere fact that I’m here is more than enough to cheer me up. Besides, learning to fight will only benefit me.  
The class broke for lunch, and the adult students broke off into several groups while we all sat down to eat simple meals.  
I found an unclaimed stone step, and settled in to people watch.  
It was actually kind of amusing to watch them all splinter into their lunch cliques. It was like I was in high school again.  
“Enjoying yourself?”  
I turned from my people watching to find the Ancient One standing over me.  
My smile disappeared as I stuttered out a response. “Um… yes ma’am. I’m enjoying the lessons with Master Abara.”  
She offered me a small smile. “Not quite what I meant.” She sat down on the step next to me and looked out at the students eating in various places around the courtyard. “Their organization amuses you.” She stated conversationally.  
I hesitantly nodded. “Yes. It just... it reminds me of my highschool years. Everyone would break off into groups during lunch, and shun anyone who tried to join them. I'm not sure why this made me so nostalgic, but it did.”  
She nodded along as I spoke.  
Not hearing a reply from her, I resumed eating my meal.  
“Master Abara tells me you have fought before.” She suddenly spoke up.  
I swallowed a bite of apple, and replied, “Not in this life.”  
She turned a calculating look upon me. “You received training before you died.”  
I nodded. “I’m sure it wasn’t anywhere near as extensive as what I’ll go through here, but I knew how to throw a punch and keep my balance at the very least.”  
She looked at me for a moment longer, then rose to her feet. “Come with me.”  
I took one last bite of my apple before tossing it into the woods for some animal to scavenge, then followed after her.  
“We train our students to fight for two main reasons at Kamar-Taj.” She explained as we walked. “The first, and most obvious, is that our students will have a dangerous duty when they master their abilities, and being able to wield their powers effectively will save their lives.”  
“And the other reason?” I prompted after a moment’s pause.  
She turned her head to look down at me. “Discipline. The mystic arts require focus, dedication, and patience. Training the physical body shows where our student’s limits lie, and whether or not they are truly suited to become sorcerers.”  
“That makes sense, but what does this have to do with me having trained before?” I asked, somewhat confused.  
“Master Abara is one of our greatest martial fighters. I trust his judgement, and he believes the beginner class you are currently a part of is a waste of your time. With your past life’s training, he will be able to get you into fighting shape much faster than I originally anticipated. Therefore, since you already have a solid foundation in martial arts, you will begin learning of the more mystical pursuits within Kamar-Taj.” She finished speaking just as we walked through an archway, and I couldn’t help it as my jaw fell open.  
We were standing in one of the largest libraries I had ever seen, and I’m including my college library in that number. The structure was at least four stories high, and I couldn’t even see how wide it was due to the numerous bookshelves blocking my sight.   
This was not as large in the movie. I know that for a fact, so what happened between now and then? Or was the movie simply not accurate? I’ll have to watch out for that.  
“What is it?” The Ancient One asked as she looked at me curiously.  
I’ve already decided upon one-hundred percent honesty, so there’s no reason to keep this to myself. “When I saw this library before, it was much smaller. I’m wondering what else is different.”  
She hummed quietly to herself. “The greatest piece of advice I can give you concerning your knowledge is this: Throughout the years I have scryed the future, I have discovered that the very fact I am aware of events changes them. Do not place overmuch stalk in what you think to be true, for the very fact that you know of events will change them, even if only slightly.”  
Thinking about it, it made sense. If a man knew someone was going to die in front of him, depending on the kind of man he was, he might try to help them, or simply avoid the event completely, but if that death required him to act in a certain way, then by acting differently he might save a life, or doom countless others.   
“This is going to give me a headache.” I say aloud.  
The Ancient One outright laughed. “Then you understand what it is I am saying.” She moved further into the library, and I followed behind her.  
“You will have access to any book you are able to see. Any that are restricted are held behind defenses you will not be able to breach until you are ready to learn their secrets. The speed of your advancement will be mostly dependent on your own work ethic, and ability to comprehend what is written in these tomes. The librarian will always be available to answer questions, and both myself and the other masters will be happy to help you provided we are free. Meet with Master Abara this evening to receive your training regime, then continue as you will. I will leave you to your work now, and return to my own.” She pulled an about face and strode from the library.  
I watched her go in no small amount of shock.  
She’s just leaving me here? In something that, to me, is more valuable than the library of Alexandria?  
A wide smile spread across my face as my eyes darted around the room.  
I’m in heaven.  
I fell upon the books like a starving lion upon a wounded gazel.

After spending the entire afternoon in the library, I sought out Master Abara, and he handed me a sheet of paper with a pre-written workout routine on it. He also instructed me to come see him at least three times a week to work on my martial arts. I may have an advantage over others, but I was still a tiny little minnow compared to him.  
I thanked him, and headed off to eat my dinner. Just a simple bowl of soup.  
Finished eating, I headed back to my room and settled in to go to sleep.   
I had work to do tomorrow.


	3. 3

The months had gone by in a blur. Between my martial lessons with Master Abara, my long hours spent devouring all that I could of the library, and my more recent practical lessons in casting with Master Dimitri, time has seemed to stop mattering. I’ve been focusing all my energy on learning as much as possible, and I must say, I’m happy with my progress.  
Despite being limited by my fourteen year old body, I’m making good progress in Kung Fu under Master Abara’s tutelage.  
I have yet to win a single spar with any of my fellow students, even with them going easy on me, but my form is improving, and no one expects a fourteen year old to beat a fully grown adult no matter how well trained they are.  
The most intriguing part of my studies however, would be my classes with Master Dimitri. The Ancient One deemed me ready to join a group of students who were already working on casting spells and working magic.   
The classes are informative, but I haven’t managed to get anything to work yet. The most basic magical construct we are required to make is the sling ring portal. Something about how the ring is made not only makes it possible for the spell to function, but also makes it comparably easy to cast, so it’s a good starting point.  
Just about everyone in the class but myself has been able to work it out, but I’m stuck. I can feel the dimensional energy needed to cast the spell, but I haven’t been able to find a way to effectively shape it.  
Dimensional energy was weird. It felt like a strange canvas, that was itself a force. Imagine a blanket made from pure gravity and you’ll have the right picture.  
Doesn’t make sense does it? That was why I was having so much trouble. I couldn’t find a way to reliably wrap my head around it, which was stopping me from progressing any further. I could read the books, and train in martial arts until I dropped, but without figuring out how to cast spells, I would never become a sorcerer.  
“Robert, how are you progressing?” The woman across from me queried as she sipped at her tea.  
I set my own cup down, and answered. “Not as well as I would like, Ancient One. I can’t seem to find an answer to the problem I’m having, or even what the problem itself is aside from not being able to cast properly.”  
The Ancient One’s smile turned into a small frown. “The books I recommended haven’t helped?”  
I shook my head. “No, I’ve read through them all, but I’m just not getting it. I’ve always done better with practical application than book study, so maybe that has something to do with it?” When I originally brought my problem to her, she gave me several books she thought might help. Since they’ve failed, I was hoping she had something else up her sleeve that might help me out.  
She looked down to her teacup as she considered my words.  
The Ancient One and I have been getting together every week or so since I arrived at Kamar-Taj to both discuss my training, and so I can answer any questions she asks. So far she has been circumspect with my future knowledge, and I’ve gotten the sense that she only wants to know what she absolutely has to. Considering most events of import are half a century off, I can’t exactly say I blame her.  
All she’s really asked of me were questions pertaining to how I was enjoying my time in Kamar-Taj. I don’t see the purpose in the questions, but I imagine there is one, even if it’s just to alleviate some of the Ancient One's boredom.  
The Ancient One hummed to herself, and said, “I have been watching you since you arrived here, and your work ethic surprises me. I have never had a student who would study every waking moment, who would train whenever a master was available. Why do you drive yourself so hard?”  
I looked up and met her green eyes with my own brown orbs. “Because I have to. I want to be able to protect this world, and I want to be around to protect it. I need your help with both, which means I need to prove myself to you.”  
Her features grew serious as she looked down at me. “Mine is not the only path to immortality available in the world. You could go off on your own and perhaps even discover a new one, or use your knowledge to find one that has long since been buried.”  
I raise an eyebrow. “There are other immortals?”  
She grinned at me. “It seems you don’t know everything. Yes, there are other immortals. The two that come to mind are En Sabah Nur and Selene Gallio. Both are powerful in their own right, and would make capable tutors for you if you were to seek them out.”  
I nearly choked on my tea when she said those names. “Could you repeat that?” I asked, panicked.  
The Ancient One’s mirth faded when she took in my reaction. “Do the names En Sabah Nur and Selene Gallio mean something to you?”  
I shakily set my teacup down and nodded. “I know who they are, but they shouldn’t be here. If this is the version of the world I thought it was, those two should never have existed.”  
“Version?” She queried.  
I nodded. “There’s a lot of different versions of this reality where I come from, I thought I knew which one I was in, but that just shattered my original thought.” I wasn’t the biggest Marvel geek, but I knew enough about the multiverse to have heard of those two, and if Apocalypse and Selene were here, who and what else were? Dracula? Galactus?  
“Interesting.” The Ancient One said calmly, seemingly ignoring my internal crisis. “If you know of them, then it would be much easier to attain their assistance, so again, why come to me?”  
Having decided to table the ponderings of what version of marvel I was in for later, I answered, “I won’t go to them. While I might be able to figure something out, I’m not going to put too much faith in my future knowledge. You made a good point about the library, and I’d have to be an idiot to ignore your advice.”  
She tilts her head curiously. “So you are here because I am the path of least resistance.”  
“No. I’m here because I trust you. Even with my scepticism about how much I know to be true is actually true, especially now, I know that you are good. If you weren’t, you would have cut me open or tried to figure out what I know by now. You haven’t, so you’re trustworthy. I imagine Selene would have done so the second she started to believe me about my reincarnation.”  
The Ancient One studied me closely, then sat back with a small smile. “Very well. Come with me.” She said abruptly and stood.  
I was caught off guard, but moved quickly to follow. She is the master of this place, if she says to follow, you follow.  
She led me away from the small tea room and out into an unoccupied courtyard.  
She came to a stop and turned around to face me with a serious expression. “You believe practical application to be your preferred learning method, so we will test that.”  
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the Ancient One waved her hand, and then my eyes shot wide as the ground disappeared from underneath me.  
I was able to bark out a short scream before I crashed down onto burning hot ground. I frantically looked around me just in time to see a bronze rimmed portal close above me. I was surrounded on all sides by an unending sea of golden sand. It moved off in waves as far as the eye could see, and the uncaring sun burned down from above, turning the entire expanse into an oven of epic proportions.  
My thick robes had suddenly gone from comforting to crippling. I pulled the outer layers off, and threw them down, panting for breath. Droplets of sweat had already risen through my skin, despite the fact I had only been here moments.  
The heat was unbearable. I had to get out of there.  
I reached into a pouch secured to my belt, and pulled out a small bronze strip of metal with two hoops attached to it. I slid the index and middle finger of my right hand through the hoops, and held both hands out in front of me.  
I wanted practical application, this is about as practical as it gets.  
I began moving my left hand in circles, hoping a portal would spring into existence, but nothing happened.  
Forcing down my frustration, I licked my lips, and did my best to calm myself down, ignoring the blistering sun. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes, focusing on the energy around me.  
I tried to summon the dimensional energy to me, but it wouldn’t respond to my call. I tried to force it to obey me, but it just kept flowing past, uncaring of my plight.  
My throat began to go dry, and I pulled the last of my robes off to keep myself from overheating, leaving me wearing only my pants.  
This wasn’t working. Something was wrong, and I had to figure out what that something was fast.  
I focused on the energy around me, this time only watching it. I didn’t attempt to force it to obey my will, merely observed it as it naturally passed by.  
The energy flowed this way and that in a current of ever changing waves. It was impossible to predict its direction, for every moment it would change motion in a way that defied logic.  
Maybe that was my problem. I was looking at this logically, I needed to think mystically.  
I let out a dry breath as I focused once more. I raised my left hand, and again began to make circular motions with it. This time, I didn’t try to force the energy around me to do anything. I focused all my attention on making a portal. On creating something out of nothing.  
Without my prompting, the energy around me suddenly snapped into place and began flowing around my hands. It flew forth and condensed into a circle, a circle that slowly grew bigger.  
I opened my eyes, and saw a wide golden edged hole in reality, through which stood a smiling Ancient One. I stumbled through the portal, and it slowly closed behind me.  
In a breach of decorum, I completely ignored the Ancient One in favor of snatching a conveniently placed pitcher of cold water off the ground, and greedily draining its contents. Once my thirst was quenched, I poured the remaining liquid over my head in an attempt to cool off.  
An attempt that felt magnificent.  
“Well done.” The Ancient One praised as cooled down.  
I looked up at her and croaked out, “Thanks.” I could be mad at her, but that would be a waste of energy. Her method worked, and she would do the same thing to Strange in a century. She wouldn’t have let me die of heat stroke. I think…  
“Take the rest of the day to rest, then build upon your success in the morning.” She watched me for a moment longer, before heading back into the monastery.  
With great effort, I managed to pull myself to my feet and start the slog to my room.  
I didn’t know where she sent me, but I was sceptical it was one of Earth’s deserts. Even in the summer I doubt they would be that blisteringly hot. It felt like I was going to melt.  
I arrived at my room before too long, and pulled the last of my clothes off. I was hot, and just wanted to cool down. I laid on the bed, and drifted off.


	4. 4

Four years. I had been training at Kamar-Taj for four years. It was strange to think about looking back, time sure didn’t feel like it was passing that quickly, but I suppose that’s what happens when you’re learning magic.  
I’ve progressed an unprecedented amount. Even going so far as to shock the Ancient One with my rampant growth. The two of us still had tea at least twice a week, and those meetings were some of the highlights of my time here.  
I’ve now reached a level where I have managed to surpass most of the monastery’s adepts, but I still have a ways to go before I can stand on even footing with the masters. I’m optimistic though. I can create weapons, create bindings, enter and slightly alter the mirror dimension, telekinetically lift moderately heavy objects, protect my mind, speak telepathically to anyone else with training, and more. I’ve come to find that the mages of Kamar-Taj were able to do much more with their magic than I saw in the movies. A fact which once more caused me to lament the fact that I hadn’t read that many comics. If I had, I may have been able to cheat some more.  
Regardless, my training has gone remarkably well, and I am more than happy with the results. I have yet to be gifted an artifact with which to bolster my spells, but even without one I would place myself in the higher tier of mortals currently on Earth. There aren’t too many powered individuals yet, so the sample size is small, and I’m one of the better mages of Kamar-Taj. Disregarding the masters and the Ancient One of course.  
Despite having spent so much time here, I haven’t really gotten to know my fellow learners all that well. Aside from my time spent drinking tea with the Ancient One, what time I don’t spend in lessons is spent either in the library or training, while everyone else takes the time to enjoy themselves a little bit. I haven’t bothered, I needed strength fast, so I never stopped studying. My attitude drove the other apprentices away, but I was ok with that. While I miss having friends, I’m both anti-social, and terrified I won’t be ready to fight Thanos. I can handle a little solitude.  
I was so engrossed in my studies, and quest to become strong enough to protect the Earth, that I stopped keeping up with world events. The only reason I’m now keeping track of time is because I missed one of the most significant events in human history.  
The end of World War Two.  
It ended three years ago. The day the news made it to the monastery, everyone celebrated. It was the end of the worldwide war, of course everyone would celebrate. Well, everyone but me.  
I spent the entirety of the celebration in my room thinking. I had been ignoring the events of the world in favor of gaining power as fast as possible, and now Steve Rogers was trapped under the ice as a result. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Sure, I could have probably saved him had I known when the assault on Red Skull’s base took place, but then what? The world loses Captain America when Thanos comes?  
The fact I was having these kinds of thoughts was extremely off putting to me. If I started to see people, to see heroes, as chess pieces, what would I become?  
Apparently, I had given something away, because the Ancient One sat down in front of me, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Very few understand the weight those burdened by knowledge carry. Do what must be done, but never forget the reason behind your actions, nor the people who will be affected by your choices.” She then stood up, and left me to my thoughts.  
I thought over her words, and eventually made peace with myself. I needed certain events to happen to give Earth a fighting chance, but I refused to do more than was necessary, refused to step on people simply for convenience’s sake, and I would do all I could to make the world a better place in the interim.   
I dove into my studies with renewed fervor, anxious to master my magic, and leave the walls of Kamar-Taj behind so I may start working to better the world. I had decided that, immortal or not, I was going to save the world. If the Ancient One wouldn’t share her secret with me, then I would do everything I could in the time I had, and set things in motion for when I passed on, but no longer would I stand by and do nothing.  
That morning, I was in the courtyard moving through my workout routine so as to stay in shape. I had grown quite a bit in four years, I now stood just over six feet tall, and my constant training had done wonders for my physique.  
I finished the final movements of my kata, and moved to vacate the area in favor of studying in the library, when a voice grabbed my attention.  
“Robert.”  
I looked back, and bowed at the waist. “Ancient One. What can I do for you?”  
The Ancient One walked forward and looked up to meet my eyes.  
I was still getting used to the fact she now had to look up at me, but our swapped height difference did nothing to take away from her presence. She was still Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme.  
“I have detected an anomaly, and need as many capable sorcerers as possible to join me in the main hall. Be there as soon as you are able.” She turned and left without another word.  
I had to run her words back through my head a second time. She needed a large group of sorcerers to contain an anomaly? She typically handled things like this on her own, or passed them off to small teams, so the fact she needed this much assistance was deeply worrying.  
This wasn’t the first assignment I had been sent on, but the majority of the others weren’t very serious. The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were primarily focused on protecting and maintaining the sanctums. There were very few combat related missions associated with our profession, so while we were all trained to fight, the majority of us would only act as guardians until we were needed.  
The most dangerous mission I personally had been assigned was a short jaunt to South America to investigate a potential demon breaking through the sanctum’s dimensional shield. Luckily, it was a false alarm, and I was able to return home soon after leaving.  
Treating the situation with the care it was due, I quickly pulled my sling ring from its pouch, and created a portal to my room. I hurriedly changed into a set of blue combat robes, and opened another portal to the main hall.  
As I emerged into the hall, I looked around. There were over a dozen adepts, as well as five separate masters in the room with me. No one was talking, everyone was either nervously looking around, or stoically looking forward.  
I frowned as I saw them all.  
The Ancient One was typically enough on her own to deal with most problems, and when she sent others she would rarely send more than a master and three adepts. Whatever this was, it was serious.  
Another portal opened in the center of the room, and the Ancient One strode through it wearing yellow robes. Wasting no time, she immediately began speaking. “I have detected a never before seen dimensional entity that will appear in an unpopulated part of the Gobi Desert within the hour. I do not know whether there will be multiple enemies, or a single one. I do however know that it is not a force to be underestimated. Watch your fellow’s backs, and do not grow overconfident. Are there any questions?”  
Master Dimitri stepped forward. “Can we contain the breach within the mirror dimension?”  
The Ancient One shook her head. “No, I have already tried, and failed, to do so.”  
No real surprise there, the mirror dimension is not as much of a cure all as I was led to believe in my past life. It makes for a great training ground, but forcefully entrapping someone within it takes a great amount of power and skill. Not to mention the act of casting such a spell leaves the practitioner vulnerable to an attack from anyone who could recognize the opening. The mirror dimension is useful, but not a swiss army knife that solves every problem.  
Master Dimitri bowed his head, and stepped back.  
“Anyone else?” The Ancient One queried.  
No one else spoke.  
The Ancient One nodded. “Then follow me.” She created another portal, and strode through it, the entire room following in her wake.  
We exited the portal in a desert, and followed the Ancient One’s gaze towards a… distortion.  
It was a horizontal crack in reality that looked the same no matter your reference frame. I had never seen or heard of anything like this.  
“Adepts.” The Ancient One called out. “Follow the instructions of the masters, and leave the majority of the fighting to us. You are to support us, only engage if you have no other choice.”  
I and the other adepts gave a chorus of, “Yes master.”   
The Ancient One began speaking with the other masters, and they took positions around the crack.  
Master Abar moved towards us as the others got into position. “Take up positions behind us, and watch our backs. If any other ruptures reveal themselves, call them out immediately.”   
Before we could respond, a loud boom echoed out from the crack, and things started pouring out of it.  
There was no universal way to describe them, save their coloring. They were all varying shades of grey, but that was where the similarities ended. Some were bipedal, and had tentacles emerging from their backs. Others quadrupedal, had three heads, and were covered in spikes. As they fell through the crack, they let out collective, high pitched shrieks that seemed to grate against the minds of anyone who listened.  
Myself and the other adepts were stunned by the sound for a moment, having not expected it, but we recovered quickly by the mental protection spells taught to us early into our education at Kamar-Taj.  
Luckily for us, while we were caught by the unexpected mental attack, we were the only ones.   
The Ancient One and the masters, apparently unaffected by the screech, immediately laid into the approaching mass with a wide array of spells, tearing them apart the moment they touched the ground, but each monstrosity was replaced by three more. A never ending tide of the wrong creatures poured out of the breach.  
Realizing that even with five masters at her back the Ancient One was losing ground, I moved forward and added my own torrent of spells to the fray.  
I created a lasso of energy and wrapped it around a tree-like beast that had just emerged, before severing the thing in half. I pivoted, and began using my lasso as a whip, striking out at any of the creatures in range.  
The other adepts followed my lead, and through disks, pulled out bronze swords, and wielded artifacts against the unending tide.  
Even with the added support, we were still losing ground. The beasts kept moving through the breach, and they were starting to land on the sand, and take steps. Everywhere they touched, it was as if the very life was sucked from the land. Every grain of sand, every loose stone, every thing that was touched by the creatures lost all of its color, and became the same shade of grey as the creatures falling forth from the breach.  
“Get back and regroup!” The Ancient One bellowed as she charged the beasts alone.  
Glowing bronze runes came to life beneath her feet, and she used them to propel herself at the monsters, keeping clear of the tainted ground. Two mystical fans snapped to life in her hands, and she became a tornado of death within the sea of grey beasts, cutting and slicing at anything within her reach. At the same time, none of the creatures were able to touch her. Every time one came close, they would either be bisected by a fan, or hit nothing but air as the Ancient One flowed out of the attack’s path.  
The masters followed the Ancient One’s order instantly, pulling back and taking up positions near the adepts where they could issue orders.  
I was about to join them, when I saw another creature emerge from the crack.  
Until now, the beasts had been no larger than a particularly large cow, but this new one put the rest to shame. It was easily twice as tall as I am, and wide as a truck. It had three legs, one arm, and a mass of tentacles emerging from everywhere at once.   
The Ancient One was preoccupied with the lesser ones, and the masters were to far away to help her in time.  
Thinking quickly, I slammed my palm into the san, sending a shower of grains away from me. At the same time, a large circular rune came to life beneath my feet and lifted me into the air.  
As I was learning magic, I made sure to take inspiration from every source at my disposal. Magic is limited by one’s power, and imagination, and I happen to have lived in a world that was brimming with imagination.  
That was how I came to be the first sorcerer of Kamar-Taj to create a floating disk that could carry its caster in a bargain brand version of flight. A spell copied from Zatanna Zattara from DC and Tenser, I forget if he has a last name, from Dungeons and Dragons.  
I used my rune to carry me at a diagonal both higher, and towards the monsters as I began casting another spell. I finished casting right as I came within range, and unleashed my magic.  
This spell is incredibly hard to use, and requires me to dedicate almost all their focus to it. I don’t know if the man I stole this from will have the same issue, but he’s Stephen Strange, a magical prodigy. I’m just me. I had originally intended to abuse it like the shadow clones, but it just doesn’t work that way. It’s too energy intensive, and comes apart whenever you do a separate action than your copies.  
I lifted my hands in front of my chest, overlapped them, then rapidly separated them. Spectral copies of myself flew out and away from me atop their own floating disk until we surrounded the monster.  
I, the original, then sent a whip of bronze light to the monster that wrapped around it, and my illusions copied the motion.  
The bands limited the beasts’ movements, but I began to strain to hold the spell almost as soon as I grabbed a hold of the monster. It was strong. Luckily, I was only trying to buy time.  
Not even ten seconds after I ensnared the beast, the masters and other adepts began unleashing their own spells towards it, and soon my binding was no longer needed.  
I dispelled the illusions with a gasp, and floated higher so as to be out of the creature’s reach.  
That was exhausting, I’ll need to keep my spells more cost effective from now on.  
I conjured a bronze bow and quiver, and began raining arrows down into the horde. I moved my floating disk until I was over the horde, but not the Ancient One, and began stomping downwards into the rune as I fired arrows. With each of my footfalls, a small bolt of bronze energy streaked down from the other side of my floating rune towards the creatures pouring out of the breach.  
I spared a glance towards the large one, and saw it being cut apart. The focused attention of over a dozen socerers was doing an amazing job of destroying the thing.  
The smaller ones, on the other hand, were growing in number. The Ancient One was doing all she could, having turned into a blender of death as she constantly threw fans of light at anything out of range only to summon more to use as melee weapons, but on her own she couldn’t stem the tide.  
We needed to find a way to mend the crack. Unfortunately, multi-dimensional cracks and how to close them was not my area of expertise, so all I was able to do was launch bolt after bolt, and arrow after arrow into the host of monsters.  
The situation continued to grow dire as more and more creatures poured forth, and I began to panic.  
If we can’t stop these things, they’ll be unleashed upon the world. No one will be able to stop these things if that happens. There’s no avengers yet, and SHIELD is only beginning to become what it needs to be. If these things that taint the land by existing make it past us, Earth won’t even make it to Thanos.  
Suddenly, the Ancient One ceased her dance, and used her runes to propel herself through the crack.  
My jaw fell open in shock, before the rational part of my brain began to scream in panic.  
She couldn’t die! If she died, there would be no Dr. Strange! There might be nothing period depending on how many threats like this she dealt with between now and two-thousand-eleven.  
Abandoning my rational mind, I dispelled my bow, crouched down, gripped the edge of my disk, and launched it through the crack after the Ancient One.  
Not my brightest moment I’ll admit.  
Through the other side, everything was wrong.  
Gravity didn’t exist, up was sideways, sideways was Tuesday, and Tuesday was flea market. Nothing made sense.  
Luckily, after my first astral walk through the multiverse, I had been through again.   
In order to advance as a sorcerer at Kamar-Taj, you must send your astral self through the multiverse until you no longer need supervision.  
I hadn’t needed supervision for over a year, dealing with the wrongness of the space between worlds was something I had grown accustomed to.  
I stopped perceiving through my physical senses, and opened my mystical ones.  
I was in an expanse of open space. The only things I could feel around me were a humanoid shape, and several grotesque monstrosities like those that poured out of the crack.  
I directed my rune to carry me towards the humanoid shape, and pulled to a stop next to it. “What’s the plan?” I asked, using my magic to ensure the shape would hear and understand.  
“Observe.” The Ancient One responded. “What do you sense?”  
I turned my attention back to the monsters, and viewed their activities with my magic.  
The torrent that came through the portal would make one believe that they were an organized force waiting to leap through it, but that wasn’t the case. The crack sat in the midst of a large gathering of the things, but only those closest to the breach were making any move to break through it. The others acted as if they didn’t even know it was there, only to leap towards it when they somehow perceived it.  
“We need to close it fast.” I said with urgency.  
If the ones we were facing were merely the ones that noticed the crack, then when more caught onto its existence we’d be overrun in a heartbeat.  
“You have no experience with these matters. Protect me as I close it.” The Ancient One ordered, then used her runes to speed towards the crack.  
I braced myself against my rune, and bolted after her. She arrived at the disturbance, and began working a spell. I took that as my que.  
I came to a halt at her back, and conjured a scimitar, carving through one of the things as it tried to get at the Ancient One. I let the sword fade away as I turned to behold the force I would be facing to buy the Ancient One time.  
More of the mind grating screeching was taken up by the things as more and more began to notice both the breach, and the two humans attempting to close it, and they all charged me.  
I clapped my hands together in front of myself, then slid them off of each other, creating a large circular rune in front of me. This particular spell was inspired by the Avatar. I can’t access even a fraction of Aang’s power, but for now, it will do.  
I pushed a small amount of energy into it, and a lightning bolt shot out its end, obliterating the nearmost creature. Another burst of energy, and a ball of fire rocketed first to explode against the next closest. A third burst of energy, and a large metal rod shot out of it, impaling a creature that was nearly on top of me. A fourth burst of energy, and a sharpened stone drove itself into a creature that was reaching out to grab me.  
The creatures had closed the gap, and there was no time for me to react with any spell that could save me, I just had to hope the Ancient One was able to close the rupture before I fell.  
Time seemed to slow down as I felt the horde descend upon me. My mind flew at a hundred miles a second trying to figure this out, but there was nothing I could do.  
Suddenly, I felt my magic swell in a way it never had before. I felt rejuvenated, I felt stalwart, I felt powerful.   
I let loose a loud roar, and my magic rose in response. There was a faint violet glow at the edge of my vision, but I ignored it to focus on the things that threatened to tear my throat out.   
I thrust both arms forward, and a beam of vibrant purple energy shot forth from each arm arm and engulfed one of the creatures. The energy then jumped from that one to the next, and the next, and the next, and so forth until all the ones that had been rushing me were simply… gone.  
What… what was that?  
As I took in what I had done, I felt the rejuvenating energy fade, and in its place reared up a savage exhaustion. I began to sway on my feet, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to fight any longer.  
Just as my hopes were fading, I felt a shivering in reality behind me. A hand fell on my shoulder immediately after, and I was pulled backwards through a portal. The screeching of the insane creatures cut off as the portal shut behind me.  
I collapsed into a heap onto the grass below me and heaved in the air. I was exhausted, had that gone on any longer I would likely have passed out.  
With a herculean effort, I tilted my head to look up at the disheveled form of the Ancient One. “Did you close it?” I asked.  
She took a deep breath and nodded. “It is done.”   
I gave a small nod. “Good.” I let my body face plant into the ground beneath me.  
I laid there for an indeterminate amount of time while the Ancient One recovered in her own way. She may not be in as poor shape as me, but the fact her robes were scuffed was a major indicator that things were going badly. Not even the other masters could get the Ancient One to seriously fight in spars. I was actually beginning to think she let Kaecilius kill her. Turns out there were actually things out there that can make her try.  
“You did exceptionally well.” The Ancient One said from above me, though I couldn’t see given my face was still in the dirt.  
I rolled over, and sat up. “Thank you, but you’ll have to forgive me if I’m a little unresponsive at the moment.”  
She chuckled merrily as she looked down at my sitting form. “While it’s understandable you wish to rest, I need you to focus. This is important.”  
Fearing another crack would open soon, I took a deep breath, then forced myself to my feet. “I’m ready.” I said with conviction.  
The Ancient One laid a hand on my shoulder, and gently pushed me back into a sitting position. “That is not what I meant.”  
Now confused, I looked up at her. “Then what is it?”  
She sat down across from me and held my gaze. “You are preparing to leave Kamar-Taj.” It wasn’t a question.  
“....Yes I am.” I hesitantly answered, still unsure what this was about.  
“Why?” She asked, her expression dead serious.  
I stuck my eyebrow up at her. “Is now really the time to…”  
“Why?” She interrupted with steel in her voice.  
I regarded her for a moment longer before answering. “Because I’ve learned all I can from Kamar-Taj. Now all that’s left for me to do is practice, and find more creative ways to use magic. I haven’t done enough, and I let a good man begin a seventy year long slumber because we might need him. I have to make that worth it. I can’t do that by sitting in Kamar-Taj.”  
“And what of your quest for immortality?” She asked, her face betraying nothing.  
“If it works out? Great. If not? Oh well. There’s plenty I can do, and there are plenty of things I can set in motion before I die that will give everyone an edge. It may not be enough, but I’m going to do all I can, for as long as I can.”  
She looked into my eyes for a long time, her own were hard the whole time. Eventually, having seen whatever it was she was looking for, she smiled and relaxed. “You have changed in your time with us.”  
I shrugged. “People are changing all the time. It’s not about preserving what you are, but remembering and learning from it.” Not the exact quote, but the sentiment was still there. The Doctor’s a wise guy.  
The Ancient One nodded. “Yes, and those like you and I must do what is right, whether it be easy or hard.”  
What? Where’s she going with this?  
She took out her sling ring and slid it onto her fingers. A few circular hand motions later, and a small portal opened up underneath her hand. She reached through, and her hand reemerged grasping a leatherbound book. Wordlessly, she held the book out to me.  
I took it with a small amount of hesitation. “What’s this?”  
“One of my last gifts to you.” She said somewhat sadly. “Your original purpose for coming to me. Use it or not, the choice now lies with you.”  
My eyes went wide, and I stared open-jawed at the book.   
She was giving me a manual for immortality. She had literally just handed me the key to living forever.  
I slowly panned up to stare at the Ancient One. “Thank you. Thank you so much….but why? Why give this to me now?”  
Her expression remained downcast. “Because this is the last I will see you for a long time.”  
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “I’m not leaving right away, just soon.”  
She shook her head. “You know as well as I do what would happen if the other masters and students learned my immortality is replicable. That cannot be allowed to happen, so Robert must die.”  
Suddenly I understood.  
She brought me with her and an enormous group of witnesses to fight creatures that came straight out of a nightmare. All of those witnesses watched me fly through the rupture the creatures emerged from after watching the Ancient One struggle against them. As far as they knew, I died nobly carrying out my duty.  
“So that’s it?” I ask, unable to keep my voice from cracking.  
The Ancient One nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so. You said yourself, there is nothing left for you to learn from me. You need to be free to act as you need to, you won’t be until you cut ties with Kamar-Taj. You will need to change your appearance, as well as take a new name.”  
Where I guess I should have felt shock, anger, or sadness, I only felt numb as I nodded. “Rigel. I would look up at the Orion constellation when I was a kid, and it would always make me feel like there was a reason to hope. Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation. I’ll be Rigel.”  
The Ancient One nodded. “Then on this day, Robert of Kamar-Taj gave his life to safeguard our world, and Rigel was born for the same purpose.”  
I took a deep breath, and bowed my head to her. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me Ancient One.” She was there for me every step of my journey to learn magic, and just there to talk when I needed it. She is really the only friend I have in this life.  
She gives me a sad smile. “You are welcome.” She then reached into a pouch at her side, and produced a small silver ring. “You were never given an artifact to help you with your casting, so I grant you this one final gift. It has served me well for many long years, I hope it will do the same for you.”  
I took the ring with a grateful nod, and looked down to examine the small jewelry piece. The moment I touched it, I felt a similar rejuvenation to what I felt in the space beyond the crack. It was like the ring was a well of energy that wouldn't run out.  
That reminded me, what was that weird purple energy back there? I needed to ask the Ancient One while I still had a chance.  
“Ancient One?” I looked up just in time to see a bronze portal closing, catching the barest glimpse of a dirtied yellow robe from the other side.  
I stared vacantly at the space the portal just occupied, and loudly swallowed.  
This was it. I was on my own. I couldn’t go back to Kamar-Taj, or I’d screw everything up, and I had things of my own I needed to do.  
I guess I’ll figure this out for myself, I’ll have to get used to not having the masters to ask for guidance, and this is a good first step.  
I gingerly placed the Ancient One’s book into my side satchel, and began opening a portal.  
I stepped through the glowing bronze ring and didn’t look back.


	5. 5

I adjusted my tie for the fourth time in the last hour as I continued to sip at the drink in my hand. No matter how long I spend away from Kamar-Taj, I will never stop missing the soft, comfortable robes I wore there. Modern dress clothes are more akin to walking around in an iron maiden by comparison.  
It had been a long fourteen years away from Kamar-Taj. While I had no issues with living expenses thanks to my magic, I couldn’t help but view Kamar-Taj as home, so staying away had hurt.  
I hadn’t been twiddling my thumbs during this long decade and a half, nor have I been feeling sorry for myself. I’ve been discreetly trying to learn everything I can about this world. If Apocalypse was here, it stood to reason there are other mutants, and if Selene was here, it stood to reason there were other magic users.   
I had originally intended to do my best to ensure SHIELD was never infiltrated by HYDRA, but I decided against it when I thought over what that would entail. I’d have to reveal that magic existed or else none of the paranoid higher ups would ever trust me, and doing so would create a host of other problems.  
In the end, I decided my time would be better spent making connections with both the magical and mutant world. The more allies I could call together to face Thanos, the better off the world would be. It didn’t matter whether they were psychopaths or heroes, we needed all the help we could get in this fight.  
I worked on tracking down mages first, as I had more available resources to track magic. Sadly, that endeavor turned out to be a wild goose chase. I found evidence of other mages in the world; abandoned workshops, too detailed notebooks, forgotten magical items that had long since lost their power, and more, but never any bread crumb trails. If there were any larger communities of mages in the world, they were at least as well hidden as Kamar-Taj, which meant I wouldn’t be able to find them unless they wanted me to, in which case I should avoid them anyway.  
It was disappointing for a variety of reasons. First, I wasn’t able to achieve my main goal of finding any allies, meaning I almost completely wasted years worth of time. Second, I wasn’t able to track down Selene. I remember from my first life that she was a villain, but she was also one of the greatest mages in the world. If I could learn something from her, or even curry a favor from her, then she would make a valuable ally. Unfortunately, I didn’t even find mention of her name.  
My time wasn’t completely wasted though. While I looked for hidden magical communities, I read, reread, and then read again, the Ancient One’s book. Once I was sure I had everything prepared correctly, immortality was a simple matter of tying myself to the limitless energy of the dark dimension. Dormamu won’t even notice the missing power because of how insignificant a single human life is to him.  
So I was among the ranks of Earth’s immortals now. It was very anticlimactic. I expected flashing lights, levitation, and demonic chanting. All that really happened was I opened a portal, attached the energy from it to myself, then closed it. Done.   
As I said, anticlimactic.  
About the only noticeable change from the event was that it was now much easier for me to use magic. I could use stronger spells for longer, and my control increased a great deal.  
The ease of the ‘ritual’ was actually slightly worrying. If how to accomplish this got out, then I could see a group of power hungry mages using their new abilities to try and take over the world. Now that I thought about it, that was probably what happened with Kaecilius.   
Fearful that I might accidentally misplace the book, or that someone would take it from me without my knowing, I waited until it would be night at Kamar-Taj, and dropped it through a portal into the Ancient One’s private chamber. No one was allowed in the room without her express permission, and given the time of night she should have already been in the room.  
Sure enough, as the portal was closing, a piece of paper was thrown through. It read, I wish you the best of luck in your quest, Rigel.  
I smiled as I read over the note. It was both a confirmation that she had received the book back, and a greeting from a friend. I didn’t know how she was able to write it so fast. Perhaps she had been using the Time Stone recently?  
I pocketed the note, and continued my search for magical communities.  
While searching for such gatherings of mystically inclined people, I attempted to investigate the strange purple energy I summoned while fighting the otherworldly invaders. I tried to find books written on the subject, but was left disappointed when I found nothing. Then when I tried to summon that power again, I hit what felt like a brick wall. Something was stopping me, and I didn’t know how or why. Eventually, I gave up on it. It was more efficient to train the magic I learned from Kamar-Taj than to try in vain to unlock some long hidden power. Besides, it may have been a one-off thing.  
Having dried up my magical leads, I turned instead to the mutant lead. Apocalypse existed, so where were the other mutants?  
Now, my Marvel knowledge was always far from perfect. I watched most of the movies, but read very few comics. The majority of my greater Marvel knowledge came from, embarrassingly enough, fanfiction, so there was no way to know how accurate it was. Thankfully, I didn’t need to worry about my memory deteriorating because I possessed a variety of recall spells, but what I had was still too little to work with. I eventually decided my best bet was to seek out Charles Xavier. In almost every story I’ve read or heard of involving mutants, Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr were present.   
Which is how I came to be sitting in this bar, alone, enjoying my whiskey, ignoring the screaming crowd of drunk twenty-something year olds, and watching a certain potentially world spanning telepath gulp down an unhealthy amount of alcohol.   
I had honestly expected to be searching for him for another year or so, but I found the man in a week flat, which placed me in an interesting situation.  
I had proven that mutants existed in this world, and that they likely modeled after the X-Men movie series. I had also proven that the Hellfire Club existed, as a certain CIA agent wouldn’t be trying to talk to the drunken Xavier if she hadn’t had a run-in with them.  
So, I could follow Xavier, try to help him against Shaw, and do my best to make sure the Cuban Missile Crisis didn’t end in nuclear winter, or I could trust Xavier to handle it, and seek out the Hellfire Club. Doing so would not only allow me to hunt down Shaw more directly, but it would also let me track down Selene. She should still be the Black Queen unless some other comic wrench has been thrown into the equation. I still wasn’t sure which option I would go with.  
I put my drink down with a sigh and started spinning the silver band on my right ring finger.   
If I seek out Hellfire right now, any number of things could go wrong with Xavier’s mission which would result in the nukes being launched. As the Ancient One warned me, merely by existing I’ve changed things. I may have accidentally butterflied away the X-men’s chance to win. On the other hand, if I don’t go after Hellfire and instead fight Shaw with Xavier, Selene may go to ground when she realizes there’s someone after Hellfire, causing me to lose my best chance to find her.  
I let out a long sigh, and downed the rest of my drink.  
I didn’t know what to do.  
“That was a heavy sigh for someone so young.” A cheery feminine voice said from over my left shoulder.  
I had felt the person approach with my mystical senses, but I didn’t realize who it was until she spoke.  
I turned to look at the woman and gave her a smirk. “Maybe I’m not as young as I look.”  
The blonde grinned back, and took the empty seat across from me. “Don’t believe it. You’re too charming.”  
Was this actually happening right now?  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “I’ve said all of one sentence to you ma’am. I fail to see how you were able to judge my charm from a single sentence.”  
She shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “I’ve got good instincts.” She smiled wide, and put her hand out in front of me. “Raven.”  
I took her hand and shook it. “Rigel.”  
“Nice name.”  
“Likewise.”  
“So Rigel…” She leaned back in her chair. “What’s got you so down?”  
I figured I might as well humor her. This had been entertaining so far. “I’m having trouble making a decision.”  
“Ooh. Guess it’s a big one then?”  
I nodded. “May just determine how I spend the next fifty years.”  
Her eyebrows rose up. “Definitely a big one. What’re your options?”  
“Leave town for a sure thing, but I’d leave people behind who may need my help, or stay and miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.” I deliberately kept it vague, though truthful.  
Raven pursed her lips. “Hmm, well, if it was me, I wouldn’t leave anyone behind. I don’t have many friends, so I take care of the ones I do have.” She said genuinely.  
“Admirable, but what if they weren’t exactly your friends?”  
She tilted her head at me. “Do you know them?”  
I nodded. It was true from a certain perspective.  
“Then I’d still stay.” She said with finality. “Unless they’re assholes.”  
I barked out a short laugh. “They most certainly are not, ‘assholes’.” Speaking in a ‘sophisticated manner’ had been part of the discipline training back at Kamar-Taj, so it had been a long time since I’d heard someone cuss so casually. It was kind of refreshing.  
Raven nodded. “Then there ya go! Now you know what I’d do, so what’re you going to do?”  
I held her gaze for a long few seconds.  
I supposed it would be nice to have friends again.  
I smirked at her. “I think I’ll stick around. Thanks for the help Raven.”  
She smiled brightly back. “You’re welcome.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “Does this mean you owe me one now?”  
I chuckled at her antics. “You know what? Sure.” I reached into one of my pockets, and pulled out a small turquoise stone. I held it out to her, and she took it with a raised eyebrow. “You ever need my help, throw that stone as hard as you can into the ground. I’ll stop by to give you a hand.”  
She raised a sceptical eyebrow at me. “So what… is this some sort of knock out drug in disguise?”  
Noticing a disheveled professor hurrying over to collect his adoptive sister, I simply shrugged at Raven before Xavier practically picked her up.  
“I’m sorry sir, but something’s come up and I’m afraid Raven and I must be going.” He ignored Raven’s protests as he dragged her after Moira.  
I watched them go with a small smile on my face. I was involved in this now, I had made my choice. I felt it was the right one, and that’s what mattered.  
I was preparing to leave after Raven, but another young woman sat down across from me.   
“Heya.” She said. “Girlfriend ditch you?”  
I chuckled. “No. Just a new acquaintance being called away.”  
The woman smiled widely. “Good.” She stuck her hand out. “Page.”  
I shook her hand. “Rigel.”  
She gave me a coy smirk. “So you gonna buy me a drink or what?”  
I raised an eyebrow, but eventually called over the waitress.  
The two of us spent the rest of the night together, and ended up at her place. I left quietly the next morning, not wanting to involve her in any aspect of the greater world.  
Overall, it was a nice night, and I really enjoyed being able to relax. I had a feeling things would pick up pretty soon, so I figured I should take advantage of the quiet while it lasted.


	6. 6

Over a week later I was meditating above a waterfall. I was sitting in a lotus position, only I was levitation a good three feet off the ground. I was enjoying the sounds of the water crashing around me when I heard screaming in my mind, then gunfire.  
I opened my eyes, and brought my feet under me as I cancelled the levitation.  
It was time.  
I slid on my sling ring and opened a portal. I walked through it, and found myself in a closed broom closet. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made of a white stone. Outside the door, I could hear men and women screaming, and the tell-tale booming of guns going off.  
I made a fist, closing the portal behind me, put my sling ring away, and hurried out of the closet. There was a young man in a security uniform bleeding out not a foot away from the door. I ran up to him the moment I saw him.  
He was staring in disbelief at the stab wound in his stomach, and seemingly trying to will the wound closed. He knew he was dying, and he didn’t want to go. He heard the door open, and his eyes locked onto me. “Please!” He desperately gasped.  
I knelt down beside him to get a look at the wound. It was bad, but the blade wasn’t twisted when it was inside, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I may be able to save him.  
I could still hear guns going off in the distance, but I made a decision, and placed a hand over the wound. I looked at the man and said, “You won’t be able to see for a bit.”  
He looked at me in terror and said, “What?”   
Then I cast a blinding spell on him. I may want to save him, but I can’t afford him to know about magic. As an afterthought, I also cast a quick silencing charm on him to stop his screams from being heard, then conjured a needle as I deconstructed a section of my shirt so I could use the thread. Quickly, because time was of the essence, I cast a cleaning spell on the wound, then began stitching it closed.  
The man’s jaw shot open as he screamed in silent agony, but no sound passed his lips. Soon enough, he passed out from the pain, leaving me free to work.  
It took a little over a minute to completely close the wound, and, confident the man wouldn’t bleed out until someone could make it to him and actually fix him, I laid him in the recovery position before walking towards where I sensed the only living people in the compound to be.  
By saving the man, I lost my chance to save the other security personnel, but as much as I hate to have allowed this, Shaw needed to have his display of power. The young X-Men wouldn’t have taken him seriously without it, and one survivor is much easier to excuse as luck than forty-seven.  
I strode down the hall, and began to catch bits and pieces of what was being said ahead of me. A man spoke about becoming kings and queens, and how humanity was lesser, and all that beautiful mutant towards human racism.  
I got to the door to the room where I felt everyone to be, and saw Shaw as he looked in X-Men First Class taking the hand of a young woman with angel wings tattooed onto her shoulders.  
I got here too late to save Angel, but I could still save Darwin.  
I pulled the door open in front of me, then waltzed into the room with my hands clasped behind my back. Shaw, his two men, Azazel and Riptide, and the kids all snapped to look at me as I made my entrance. “For someone who speaks of kings and queens,” I began, interrupting Shaw mid sentence. “there are a startling number of similarities between this act and those of a common terrorist.”  
The kids-because aside from Darwin that’s what they were, just kids who had no idea what they had gotten themselves into-looked between me and Shaw with panicked, jerky movements.  
Shaw held his hand out to the man in the grey suit as soon as he saw me, and took his helmet back, quickly pulling it down over his head.  
I allowed myself a soft chuckle. “That’s unnecessary. I’m unable to influence your mind.” The most I’m able to do is look over his surface thoughts.  
Shaw just smiled back at me. “You’ll forgive me for being cautious.”  
I nodded in acquiescence, and the room lapsed into silence.  
“We haven’t seen you before.” Shaw began to regain his momentum. “My name is Sebastian Shaw, and you are?”  
I bowed my head respectfully. “Rigel. No last name.”  
Raven made a choking sound when I introduced myself, which brought a small smile to my face.  
It would seem she didn’t recognize me until right this moment. Given the sporadic and terrifying nature of the past twenty minutes, I’m willing to forgive her.  
Shaw looked me up and down, then said. “So what’s your mutation? Some form of invisibility?”   
I gave him my best smile. “I’m not a mutant.”  
Shaw’s own smile faded instantly. “A shame. Azazel.”  
The red skinned man at Shaw’s right disappeared in a sharp snap of red smoke, and I began to feel a presence forming directly to my right. I waited a beat to get the proper timing, then sent a side kick into Azazel’s face the moment he rematerialized.  
The mutant was so shocked he dropped his short sword, though he held onto his sharpened tonfa. I caught the falling blade’s flat with my foot, and kicked it back up into my hand. I gave the blade a once over, then turned to Shaw. “I’m not a mutant, but that does not mean I’m incapable of defending myself.”  
There was another snap hiss, and I felt a presence appearing behind me. I waited the same beat, then elbowed the apparating man in the solar plexus, following that up with a backfist to the nose.  
Azazel collapsed with a bloody nose, dropping his tonfa as well.  
I kicked that weapon into my other hand.  
I waved both weapons around experimentally, but overall couldn’t stand them. Whoever made these things was not nearly as talented as the weaponsmith of Kamar-Taj, though I would be surprised if they were.  
Azazel stumbled back to his feet, so I tossed his weapons back to him. He was so shocked he dropped the tonfa, it echoed out with a metallic clang.  
The kids and Darwin looked about ready to pass out from the sudden flip flops in mood, while Shaw stared at me with calculating eyes.  
“What are you?” He asked.  
I grinned. “Just a man who doesn’t want to see the world burn.”  
His eyes narrowed dangerously at my nonanswer.  
“Why are you here? What do you want?” Shaw asked, suddenly dead serious.  
I dropped the smile, and stared back at him. “You to leave. If anyone here wants to go with you willingly, then they are free to, but no one else dies.” I turned to the kids. “And know that if you go with him, you’ll become a terrorist trying to bring about World War Three. A fact which means I’ll be forced to do my utmost to kill you. No hard feelings.” I turned back to Shaw. “We ought to let them know now right?”  
He waited a beat, before turning back to the kids and Darwin. “The decision is yours brothers and sisters. Are you with us, or against us?”  
None of them moved, not even Angel. I have to say that surprised me, I thought she would still leave.  
“You have your answer Shaw.” I said in dismissal.  
He nodded. “Yes we do. Azazel?”  
Azazel’s nose was still gushing, but he ignored it, grasping hands with his two allies, and teleporting away.  
I had debated whether or not to try to kill him here, but I’d have to let loose to do it. Between me, him, and Riptide, the collateral damage would be too extreme. I was pretty sure I could take both of them if I fought unexpectedly, but if the whole city got hit by a tornado because of our fight, then it wasn’t worth it. Plus, I wouldn’t have a good way to contain Azazel and stop him from killing any of the other mutants. While I would have liked to remove him from the equation, now wasn’t the right time.  
I watched the space they vacated for a moment to make sure they wouldn’t return, but I didn’t feel the telltale sign of teleportation.  
I did however feel a panicked woman marching up behind me.  
“What the fuck?!” Raven screeched as she looked up at me.  
“You’ll have to be a bit more specific.” I responded calmly.  
“How are you here?!” She screamed.  
I shrugged. “Same way you are I suppose, I walked.” At least from the broom closet.  
Raven looked about ready to burst a blood vessel, so I was glad when Darwin stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder.  
“I think what she means to say is thank you for helping us out there, now who the hell are you?”  
I smiled warmly at him, and gave a small bow. “As I already said, my name is Rigel, and you are welcome for the assist.”  
Darwin looked understandably cautious as he stared me down. “Not that I’m ungrateful, but why did you help us? How’d you even know we were in trouble?”  
“I helped you because it was the right thing to do. I knew you were in danger because I owed Raven a favor.”  
Darwin’s jaw opened and closed silently for a moment. “You what now?”  
“You mean this stupid thing actually does something?!” Raven yelled as she pulled a small turquoise stone out of her back pocket.  
Huh, I hadn’t expected her to still have that. The tracking enchantment I layered on it transferred to her the moment she touched it, so even if she didn’t have it with her I would have noticed the commotion. Was it a breach of privacy? Yes, but it was only set to trigger if she found herself to be in danger, and it was a one-time thing. It’ll never activate again.  
Back to the fact that she’s still holding the thing, what was she thinking? She gets handed a strange rock by a strange man that she herself suspected to be given to her with nefarious intentions, and she decides to carry it around in her back pocket? The smart thing to do would’ve been to drop it the second she walked outside, then wash her hands well, not carry it around with her until her dying day.  
I shrugged at Raven. “Who knows? Now, I’m sure someone will come along soon, the agents were able to raise an alarm after all, so I think you’ll be able to take care of yourselves until they arrive.”  
Angel, wearing a shocked expression, stepped towards me. “Wait, you’re just going to leave?”  
I nodded. “I did what I came here for. All of you are safe, so now…”  
I was interrupted by the feeling of a person appearing behind me.  
I cut off mid sentence and spun around to kick the teleporting mutant in the groin.  
He doubled over in pain, and teleported away, leaving his sword behind.  
It looked like Shaw was hoping I’d have already left. That changed things.  
“Change of plans.” I said to the shocked mutants who were still staring at the fallen sword as if it was a pound of C-4. “I’ll be staying with you after all.”  
I couldn’t tell if the mutants were thrilled or horrified by my proclamation.

Within the hour, a host of CIA agents arrived to secure the area. They swept through the complex, and checked for survivors. Sadly, only the man whose wound I stitched together made it.  
It was a good thing too, his word was the only thing that kept the trigger happy agents from opening fire on me. When the mutants attempted to vouch for me, the agents completely disregarded everything they said.  
And so the human towards mutant racism reared its ugly head. Sometimes my faith in the people of the world grows very taxed.  
The CIA agents tried to question me, but I used some simple charms to divert their attention. I had no interest in appearing on the government’s radar, and frankly, I didn’t care what they wanted, I wasn’t going to do as they said for the simple reason that I didn’t have to. It was refreshing to be so independent that you could take five steps and in those steps walk from Antarctica to the north pole.  
The mutants pestered me for answers while the agents went about their work, especially Raven, but I didn’t feel like speaking twice, so I elected to remain silent until Xavier and Erik arrived.  
A little over an hour after the tide of agents had descended upon the compound, the sun rose, and with its appearance, the two mutants in question arrived.  
Xavier ran forward and pulled Raven into a hug. “Is everyone alright?” He asked, frantically looking around the group to check the young mutants over. His eyes caught on me for a moment, but he had yet to address me.  
“Charles, they killed everyone!” Raven sobbed. “They...they…”  
“It’s alright.” Xavier said, and began rubbing the back of her head comfortingly.  
Erik, having also noticed my presence, strode right up to me. “Who are you?” He demanded.  
“Rigel.” I answered simply.  
His eyes narrowed, and a snarl escaped his lips. “Are you with Shaw?”  
I gave him a flat look. “Would I still be here if I was associated with that maniac? No, I am not with Shaw.”  
“Why are you here?” The electromagnetic mutant continued his interrogation.  
“Oh stop it Erik! He helped us.” Raven defended me as she broke away from Charles. “He stopped Shaw from kidnapping us.”  
Both Charles and Erik looked at me in a new light.  
I felt a faint probing in my head, and swatted it away with my mental defences. Confident my mind was secure, I turned towards a gobsmacked Charles with a hard gaze. “It’s incredibly rude to look into someone’s head without permission. I would suggest you not attempt to breach my thoughts again.”  
“My apologies.” He stammered out. “Though I’d ask that you forgive my caution, we don’t know your motives, and the timing of your appearance is quite convenient.”  
I nodded. “You’re forgiven, and you are right. The timing of my arrival was convenient, but that is because I am after Shaw as well.”  
Erik focused in on me. “You’re after Shaw?”  
I nodded. “More specifically, the organization he is a part of, but he is my ticket in.” My words had the benefit of being true. Shaw was my ticket into the Hellfire club, and I still wanted a chance to talk with Selene. She may not prove to be an ally against Thanos, but I would rather make the attempt, than not.  
“The Hellfire Club?” A new voice spoke. “What do you want with them?”  
I turned to Moira McTaggert and said, “That is something I will keep to myself. I have as little reason to trust you with my secrets as you have to trust me with yours.” I really don’t want the government sniffing around this if I can help it. The less they knew about me, and therefore my abilities, the better. Until I got around to dealing with HYDRA, there was just too much that could go wrong.  
“You are not making it easy to trust you.” Erik said from behind narrowed eyes.  
I sighed. “Trust me or not, for now I don’t care. Worry about the twenty year olds in your midst who just witnessed the deaths of over one-hundred people.” I walked away from the two mutants, and found a nice isolated spot to sit myself down.  
Erik and Charles, seemingly remembering what had just transpired, rushed over to Darwin and the young mutants before heading off on their own to have a heated conversation.  
While they talked, I debated my next move.  
I had already made an impact by ensuring Darwin lived and Angel stayed, so was I still needed here? From what I was observing, the mutants seemed resolved to fight Shaw, even against Charles’s and Erik’s warnings. They should be able to handle things on their own from here on out, which would free me up to hunt down Shaw. I know what he has planned, but I don’t know exactly where he’s hiding.  
I was pulled from my thoughts as Raven sat down next to me. “Why are you over here?” She asked quietly.  
“Because I make you all uncomfortable.” I answered bluntly. “You’ve all been through enough without adding me to the list of things you have to deal with. It’s better if you decide how to approach me once everyone’s had a chance to get their bearings.”  
She didn't respond, and there was silence for a few seconds.  
“How’d you know we were in trouble?” She eventually asked.  
“Mutant abilities aren’t the only ones that exist in the world.” I answered without actually providing real answers.  
Raven frowned, and turned to look at me. “What are you?”  
“Not your enemy.”  
She let out a half snort. “I figured that out when you saved our lives. I’m wondering why you did it.”  
I offered her a small smile. “Because the world needs people like you in it. People with power, that are willing to use that power for the good of all. Otherwise, we will all become the slaves of the Shaw's of the world.”  
She scoffed. “I doubt there are many assholes like him out there.”  
“You’d be surprised.” I said seriously, causing her to look at me with a considering expression.  
She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted when Xavier walked over to us.  
“From what I have been able to determine, you interposed yourself between Shaw and our young friends, potentially saving their lives.” He said with an unreadable expression.  
I stood, so as not to be dwarfed by him, and nodded. “I did.”  
His face went through a multitude of expressions, before it settled on gratitude. He held his hand out to me and said, “Thank you.”  
I grasped his hand and shook it. “You’re welcome.”  
Charles turned from me to look at Raven. “We are going home. This facility is no longer safe, and if we were found once in the CIA’s care, it can happen again. We need a place to effectively train for the upcoming battle with Shaw, we will have that at the manor.”  
Raven stood. “We’re going after him then?”  
Charles shook his head. “Not yet, but we will when everyone is ready.” He turned to regard me, once more with a curious expression. “I do not know precisely what it is you want, but our goals seem to align, and the others speak highly of your skills. You are welcome to join us.”  
My eyes widened slightly before I was able to school my expression.  
I had honestly not expected that. I’d thought they would keep me at arm's length, or push me away entirely. I haven’t exactly acted in the most trustworthy of lights after all.  
As I thought it over, the idea began to grow more appealing. Sure, it would force me to put off my search for Selene, and my hunt for Shaw, but I might be able to do some good with the mutants. I won’t be able to fight every battle on my own, so it would only benefit me to have allies.  
I gave Charles an honest smile. “Thank you, I will gladly accept. Who knows? I may be able to teach the kids a thing or two.”  
Charles chuckled with genuine cheer. “I hope so. Any lesson you have to impart will be accepted graciously. Now, we need to be going.” He motioned for Raven and I to follow him, and we all walked towards where the other mutants were gathering around a small bus.  
Erik watched me sidelong as I approached. “You’re coming with us then?”  
I nodded, and I couldn’t help but notice as several of the mutants relaxed. I guess they’ll feel safer with the man they see to have saved their lives.  
Erik seemed not to know what to say, and eventually settled for giving me a brief nod, and climbing on the bus.  
So long as he didn’t have a problem with me, I was alright with this situation.  
The rest of the mutants and myself piled in, and the driver started the engine.  
The drive was spent in somber silence as everyone ran recent events through their mind. They had originally joined with Charles and Erik for a sense of companionship, to be around people who understood what it was like to be different, and now they had been thrust head first into a battle against insane men with super powers.  
Thankfully, the collective spirits of the bus’s occupants grew when our destination became visible.  
The bus was travelling up a gravel road towards a large brick structure. The grounds around the ‘house’ went on for acres, and ended at the border of a forest that encompassed the mansion on all sides. Creating an effective privacy shield.   
“This is where we’re going to be staying?” The red-headed Sean, also known as Banshee, asked in disbelief.  
Charles smirked. “Welcome home everyone.”  
Some of the young mutants looked on the verge of tears as they comprehended those words. For many of them, this was the first place they could ever really be themselves. I imagine their reactions were similar to what mine would be were I to return to Kamar-Taj. Awed, relaxed, and at peace.  
Everyone scrambled off the bus and began to explore. I left them to their adventure, and quietly asked Charles for directions to my room. He gave them, and I excused myself.  
I didn’t want to make things awkward by forcing myself into their group right now. I had plenty of time to get to know them while we all stayed here, so there was no reason to insert myself into every conversation.   
I made my way to my room, and was pleased with what I found. There was a rather large, too comfortable looking bed, a closet, dresser, and a desk. More than I had known for quite some time.  
Since leaving Kamar-Taj, I had slept outside most nights, using my magic to keep myself warm and safe. While it was relaxing to sleep in various hidden parts of the world every night through the use of my sling ring, there was something nice about having a single location to return to.  
“Why are you avoiding us?” A voice queried from behind me.  
I turned around with a raised eyebrow, and found Raven standing in the doorway. Interesting, I didn’t sense her approach. I’ll need to be more aware in the future.  
I shrugged at her. “I didn’t want to ruin their moment. This is the first time most of those kids have had a real home, and they don’t need an outsider there to make it awkward.”  
She frowned at me. “That’s the second time you’ve said that, why do you keep calling us kids? You’re the same age as us.”  
I opened my mouth to respond, then snapped it closed.  
Oops. Big oops.  
Physically, I looked to be in my early twenties, and that wouldn’t change no matter how long I lived, but mentally I was over fifty years old when both my lives were taken into account. I’d really need to watch that in the future or I’d give myself away again.  
Luckily, it was Raven who caught it, and not Moira. I’d hate to have the CIA investigating me.  
I sighed, and looked up at Raven. “I’m not the same age as you, I’m much older, though I’d appreciate it if you kept that to yourself.”  
She gave me a flat look. “Uh-huh. What cream are you using? Cause I’d really like some of it.”  
I chuckled. “Is it really so hard to believe? Physically I may look young, but I’m not. Shaw is the same way. His power keeps him young so long as he has energy available to him. It’s possible that your power will do something similar as well.” I knew for certain it would, but I had no way of explaining that.  
Now she just looked confused. “What do you mean?” She asked.  
“Your power is to change yourself into others, correct?” Her eyes widened slightly. “It stands to reason, since you are able to make yourself into people who are both physically older and younger than you, that you have some modicum of control over your cells. You could very well live to be one-hundred without having aged a day.”  
Her jaw fell open as she stared at me in silent shock. “Are you….are you a hundred?” She stammered out.  
I shook my head with a smile on my face. “Not there quite yet, but I don’t know about Shaw. He could very well be that old, or even older. So when I refer to you as kids, it isn’t meant as an insult. It’s merely how I view you in relation to myself. However, I will refrain from doing so from now on, and I apologize for the misunderstanding.”  
Raven numbly shook her head. “No it’s...it’s fine. I just….this is a lot to process.”  
“Take as much time as you need.”  
She nodded at me, and backed out of my room. Leaving me alone in the cozy space.  
Well, that certainly could have gone better, but it could also have gone much worse. Overall, I’d say I handled it well, though I will need to watch how I think about people from now on. If I slip up like that again, I’ll give the game away.  
Realizing there was nothing I could do about it now, I settled down on the floor to meditate.  
I needed to be ready to help the X-Men train. I was willing to bet that I was the greatest hand to hand fighter in the mansion, so that would probably fall to me. I’d do my best to make sure everyone was ready, the last thing I wanted was to watch someone die because I didn’t train them properly.


	7. 7

“So what are we doing out here?” Alex asked as he looked around. “And why did we have to wake up so early?”  
“To answer in reverse, there are only so many hours in the day, so we need to make each of them count. To the first question, we’re here so I may teach you skills that might just save your life.” I answered as the half awake mutants grumbled to themselves.  
Alex snorted. “What are you going to teach us? You’re not a mutant, so how is this supposed to help us learn about our powers?”  
“I’m going to teach you how to fight.” I answered patiently. “You are correct that I’m not a mutant, but the discipline you’ll develop from my lessons will assuredly help you learn to control your abilities. And before any of you ask why this is useful, I would, in turn, ask you to think back to who managed to defeat Azazel, and how they did so.”  
That managed to stop the snide questioning and grumbling.  
“When do we start?” Angel asked, looking strangely excited.  
I grinned. “Now.”

X

Two hours later, a group of moaning mutants dragged themselves back into the mansion.  
“This kind of abuse can’t be legal.” Sean groaned as he collapsed into a chair.   
I just laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll all be rested enough to go again tomorrow.”  
“We’re doing this again?!” He shrieked, prompting me to laugh again.  
I really don’t see why they’re all so put off by the idea, I only put them through a simple exercise regimen today, before schooling them on stances. We haven’t even begun to spar yet, and we likely won’t until they learn to hit, and take hit properly. Oh well, they’ll get better.  
Erik chose that moment to enter the room with a piece of toast in his hand. He observed the room, before turning to me. “Good job. I trust you’ll be willing to take them every morning?” He asked respectfully.  
I nodded. “Leave them to me.”  
He nodded in thanks, then left to go eat his toast.  
“Why doesn’t he have to go through this?” Hank moaned.  
“Because he already knows how to fight. He could stand to improve his form a bit, but that’s not as large a concern as you lot, so we’ll save it for later.” I answered.  
I didn’t know where Erik learned to fight, but his teachers knew what they were doing. He was overconfident, and trusted in his power too much, but again, the other mutants were in much worse shape than he was, and I didn’t want to have to fight him to get him training. Pissing off the magnetic mutant seemed like a poor decision.  
“Welp, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I had fun!” Darwin chirped, his mutation saving him from the pain the others were feeling. “I’ll see you all tomorrow morning so we can do this again!” He too strode off to eat breakfast.  
The rest of the group slowly slogged their way out of the entryway, and went about the rest of their day. They either met with Charles to work on controlling their powers, or broke off into groups to help each other out.   
Slowly but surely, they were coming along.

X

“Your problem is a lack of control.” I said to Alex as Hank and Charles studied the information appearing on a nearby screen.  
“What?” He asked as he turned to me in surprise, almost as if he’d forgotten I was there.  
“Control.” I reiterated. “When you summon up that energy, you’re pulling it from everywhere at once and simply unleashing it. That’s why you can’t aim, and why you can’t turn it off right away.”  
He scoffed. “Right, because it’s as easy as only using a little bit at a time. Why don’t you leave the mutant power discussions to the mutants?”  
“Alex, that is uncalled for. Rigel is here to…”  
“It’s alright Charles.” I cut in, still holding Alex’s gaze. “I’ll tell you what, humor me for five minutes, and I’ll leave.”  
Alex considered for a moment, then snapped out a, “Fine.”  
I grinned. “Perfect! Now, hold your right arm straight out in front of you.”  
He gave me a sceptical look, but after receiving a nod from Charles, he did as I asked.  
“Now, focus on the energy within you. Do not release it to do as it pleases, but focus it. Drive it into your arm slowly, then fire it out the end.”  
Alex raised an eyebrow at me, before shoving his arm forward dramatically. “Oh wow! It didn’t work! Thanks for the help, see you in the morning!” He said dismissively.  
I sighed, and walked up to him. I grabbed his arm, and pointed it towards the far end of the bunker we were all standing in.  
“Hey! Let me go you crazy…”  
“Focus.” I cut him off coldly. “Feel the energy. Force it to go where you want. Leave the dam closed, just open a channel for it to release through.” I subtly started prodding at Alex’s body with my magic. I could feel the strange red energy created by his power, and I began to force it in a certain path. I couldn’t manipulate it wholesale, but I could influence its flow a tad.  
“I said let go you…” Alex’s complaints cut off, and his eyes went wide.  
Suddenly, the energy inside him started moving towards his arm on its own, and I pulled back, letting him do the rest himself.  
A soft humming sound emanated from his arm, and a bolt of red energy fired out from it in the direction he was aiming, his arm kicked back with the force of the shot.  
Alex, Charles, and Hank all stared at the small scorch mark in the wall with gobsmacked expressions.  
I grinned, and let Alex go. “I think you gentlemen can handle things from here.” I strolled out of the room, letting Charles and Hank do the appropriate geeking out over this new discovery.

X

I was enjoying some peace and quiet in one of the mansion’s sitting rooms, when I was interrupted by a resolved Erik Lensherr.  
“So Rigel, what’s your story?” He asked as he sat down next to me.  
I raised an eyebrow at the abrupt intrusion, but decided to roll with it. “What specifically are you looking to find out?”  
Erik took a sip from the drink in his hand. “You’re after Shaw for a reason. I believe you said something about going after the Hellfire Club? What do they have that you want?”  
I figured this was going to come up sooner or later. So long as I didn’t give them reason to distrust me, they wouldn’t act against me, but they wouldn’t fully trust me without knowing my angle either. Good thing I’d prepared an answer for this question. It even had the benefit of being an honest answer.  
“Not so much a ‘what’, as a ‘who’.” I responded. “I need to get in contact with one of Hellfire’s Queens, and she is a notoriously difficult woman to find.”  
Erik raised an eyebrow, and set his drink down on the coffee table. “You’re fighting Shaw… to find a woman?”  
I barked out a quick laugh. “It’s not what you’re thinking. She’s….well connected. I’m working to bring a stop to people like Shaw, and she has the potential to help me.”   
Erik leaned forward, intrigued. “Why would she help you fight Shaw? He’s one of Hellfire’s Kings, so it would be bad for business if she worked against him.”  
I shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone stabbed their business partner in the back, and it should be a mute point regardless. Once we deal with Shaw, someone else will step up, which will free her from any obligations to him.”  
He sat back, and gazed at me contemplatively. “So you’re only helping us to get to this….woman?”  
I shook my head. “She is a big reason yes, but not the only one. I’m also opposing Shaw because I can’t allow what he stands for.”  
Erik’s features hardened immediately. “You don’t believe mutants should be allowed to live freely?”  
“That is not at all what I meant.” I said seriously. “The problem I have with the man is that he thinks the way to go about his goal is to destroy the world that came before. That is the philosophy I have an issue with. Personally, I think it would be good for mutants and humans to coexist as equals. They could help each other in more ways than either realize.”  
Erik relaxed at my clarification. “Humans and mutants would be able to help one another, but it’s naive to think humans would accept us.”  
I nodded along, a frown on my face. “Sadly, you’re right. When they see the kind of power mutants possess, they’ll be afraid, and humans don’t respond well when they’re afraid. Unless things are handled delicately, they could devolve into a war. That’s one of the things I’d like to avoid.”  
Erik tilted his head slightly, and studied me in a new light. “You’re a lot more insightful than I originally thought. I also couldn’t help noticing you referred to humans as ‘they’. What are you, that you don’t see yourself as human?”  
I held his gaze, but didn’t answer for a moment.  
I really need to watch myself. Spending so long away from human interaction has not done me any favors. If I lie to him here, I can’t help but feel like he’ll know.  
“The world’s a much bigger place than even you realize Mr. Lensherr.” I answered cryptically. “And not everyone in it is your enemy.”  
He considered for a moment, then said, “Call me Erik, Rigel. You’ve earned that much.” He finished off his drink, stood, and left the room.  
I watched him go, then stood, and returned to my room.   
I was going to turn in early tonight.

X

I used my magic to observe from the shade of a nearby tree as Charles muttered encouragingly to Sean.  
“You can do it Sean. Trust in your abilities, and you’ll be fine.”  
The red haired mutant shook his arms out, and started fidgeting nervously. “I trust you.” He leaned over the edge of the satellite dish, and took some deep breaths. His features went from resolute, to weary, to panicked, and he pulled back. “You know what? I don’t think I can…”  
Erik stepped forward and said, “Here let me help you.” Then he proceeded to shove Sean off the top of the dish.  
Sean let out a startled cry, but maintained the wherewithal to spread his arms, engaging his wingsuit, and screamed.  
His power did the rest, propelling him higher into the air as the rest of us watched on.  
He got a few hundred feet above the dish, and started whooping with joy.  
I smiled as I watched him take flight for the first time.  
His reaction wasn’t too dissimilar to my own when I finally figured out my flying rune. Moving through the air unimpeded, feeling the wind on your skin, feeling free. It’s a feeling only a lucky few can ever truly experience.  
Angel pumped her fist in the air and yelled, “Yeah!” Her wings unfurled, and she followed him up into the sky.  
The two began flying around together while the rest of the mutants high-fived. Banshee was still very new to flying, but Angel kept near him, and gave him a safety buffer in case he started to fall.  
Satisfied that I hadn’t butterflied away Banshee’s success, I released my hold on the spell I had prepared, and began the walk back to the mansion. Leaving Banshee to celebrate with his friends.

“Why do you fight in this form?” I asked Raven as she struggled to her feet.  
“What?” She panted out, still recovering from getting the wind knocked out of her.  
We were outside sparring. She was the last of the group to go, so everyone else was already back inside the mansion applying ice, and eating breakfast.  
“Why do you fight in this form?” I asked again. “I’ve seen you move in your natural state, and you are more agile, flexible, and even stronger, so why fight like this?”  
She looked back at me completely gobsmacked, as if the idea hadn’t occurred to her, then her features morphed into a frown. “I can fight like this.” She said simply.  
I raised an eyebrow. “I never said you couldn’t, but you could be better. Look, I’m not going to force you into anything, I was just curious as to your reasoning.”  
She scowled, and repeated, “I can fight like this.”  
I sighed. “Raven, soon we are going to go into war. A war that will be decided in a few short battles between individuals with incomprehensible powers. If I were you, I would use every avenue at my disposal to survive, and that means being better.” Without warning her, I charged in. Aiming a punch directly for her nose.  
Her eyes went wide, and her concentration slipped as she moved to duck away from the hit. Her blonde hair and white skin shifted away into red and blue. With the added maneuverability, she was able to dodge my first punch, then my second, then the follow up kick.  
By the time she had finally recovered a proper stance, I had ceased my assault. “The difference between you living or dying may be whether or not you are comfortable fighting as you currently are. More importantly, the lives of your friends may depend on how you choose to fight.” I turned around, and headed back inside. Leaving her to think on my words.

X

“Check.” Charles said calmly as he placed down his bishop.  
I looked around the board for any avenue of escape from Charles’s trap, but ultimately found none.  
With a sigh, I asked, “How long ago did you win?”  
“Four moves.” Erik responded from where he stood, watching our game. “You are decent enough, but it’s clear you haven’t played in a while.”  
I shrugged. “I haven’t had the chance for quite some time.” I held my hand out to Charles. “Good game.”  
He took my hand, and shook it with a smile. “Good game.” He echoed.   
The two of us went about resetting the pieces while Erik continued to watch.  
“So Rigel,” Charles began as we finished resetting the board. “I couldn’t help but notice you haven’t been joining us at meal times. Is there any particular reason for that? If there are ill feelings, I can talk to whoever is making you feel unwelcome.”  
I shook my head with a chuckle. “I appreciate it Charles, but it’s nothing like that. I just eat at strange times, and don’t want to intrude on your gatherings.”  
He waved me off. “You wouldn’t be intruding. In fact I feel everyone would benefit from your presence.”  
I took a moment to collect my thoughts before responding.  
Have I been avoiding the mutants? Yes, but I didn’t have any malicious intentions. At first, it was because I felt like I was imposing, potentially ruining their chemistry. Later, it became the opposite. I was beginning to feel too comfortable. More comfortable even than I felt at Kamar-Taj. I realized that if I kept growing closer with them, that I wouldn’t want to leave. That I would hurt them, and myself, when I inevitably did.  
I still have too much I need to do. I can’t spend a decade at Xavier’s Home for Gifted Youngsters enjoying myself when armageddon was on the horizon. It had been over a decade since I left Kamar-Taj, and so far all I had accomplished was making myself stronger. I needed to up my game, or soon I’d be out of time.  
I let out a sigh, and looked up at Charles. “I’ll be honest Charles, I have been intentionally keeping to myself, but not because I don’t enjoy your company. Quite the opposite in fact.”  
Charles turned his head, confused. “I don’t see the issue. Why avoid us if you enjoy being around us?”  
“Because once Shaw is dealt with, I will leave. I have too many things I need to do, and too little time to do them. I can’t say if I will be back, or even if I will have time to visit. The kids have never really had families, at least not in the sense of a place to belong. They have that here, and I don’t want to ruin it by making them feel as if I abandoned them.”  
“Then don’t leave.” Charles said as if it was the simplest solution in the world. “Whatever it is you need to do, we will help you. After everything you’ve already done for us, we would help you. You don’t have to be alone Rigel.”  
I gave him a sad smile. “It’s not that simple Charles. I won’t drag you and yours into my problems, and there are some that you just plain cannot help me with. I appreciate the gesture, but once we deal with Shaw, I will leave.”  
Charles opened his mouth to say more, but Erik interrupted him.   
“I understand feeling as if you have to do everything on your own.” He took a seat at the table, and looked across at me. “I’ve hunted Shaw my entire life, and I’ve been on my own just as long. I would have died chasing him if Charles hadn’t come, and now, working with him, I’m closer than I’ve ever been to being done with this once and for all. If you tell us how, we will help you.”  
That, coming from Magneto of all people, absolutely shocked me. Both of these men were telling me they would risk their lives to help me, and they didn’t even know what it was I’d be facing.  
When did I grow so close to these people that they’d be willing to do this for me? We’ve only been in the mansion for a few months, and most of that time has been spent training the younger mutants. The most the three of us have interacted, have been short overviews on everyone’s progress.  
I looked between the two men, and saw the same look on each of their faces. It was a look of expectation. They were offering to help me, and waiting for my answer. If I told them no, it would create a wall between myself and them. They would likely never offer something like this again, but at the same time, I couldn’t accept.  
Seeing only one way out of this, I sighed, and looked between them once more. Silently, I held my hand out in front of me, and brought a spinning bronze rune to life atop it.  
Both men’s eyes widened, and they unconsciously backed off slightly, before leaning in closer.  
“What is that?” Charles asked with barely contained excitement.  
“Magic.” I responded simply.  
Both men’s attention snapped away from my hand to my face as they began to scan for any trace of deception. When they found none, they slowly panned back to look at my hand.  
“Magic.” Erik said breathlessly, as if he was testing out the world. “And here I thought the world already didn’t make sense.”  
I chuckled despite myself and dispelled the rune. “The world never made sense to begin with, Erik. This revelation should only prove that everything is, in fact, crazy.”  
Charles grabbed his chin in thought, and looked down at the table. “That is how you are able to block my telepathy.” He stated as he looked back up at me. “You have some form of magical protection don’t you?”  
I nodded, then replied in his mind, Yes, and I am also able to speak directly into the minds of other telepaths. Although, unlike yourself, I cannot speak to anyone with an untrained mind.  
Charles’s jaw fell open as he stared at me.  
Erik looked between us in confusion. “What is it?”  
“I’m a telepath, although not as great a one as he is.” I responded, causing Erik’s eyes to go wide. “My range is significantly smaller, and I can only talk to other telepaths. The best I can do with those who have untrained minds is to browse their surface thoughts.”  
Erik’s eyebrows furrowed in thought. “What else can you do?”  
I smirked. “A lot.” I unnecessarily held out my hand, and the white king piece from the chess set floated into the air. “I have very minor telekinesis. My weight limit is much smaller than yours Erik, and my fine control is less refined, but I am able to move objects other than metal. I also have a wide variety of other spells at my disposal, but to explain them would take all day.” I gently placed the king piece back down.  
There were a few seconds of silence as they both processed everything I had said.  
Charles was the first to speak. “Why tell us now?” He asked. “This clearly isn’t a new development, so why tell us now when you surely had a reason to keep this to yourself?”  
“I trust you.” I said simply. “You were both genuine in your offer to help me, and I needed you to understand exactly why you can’t. I know now that you will keep this to yourself, so I was able to give you the true reason I will continue to reject your aid.”  
Erik’s gaze was focused on the wooden chess piece I moved. “You are going after another wizard aren’t you?” He looked up at me as he finished his question.  
I nodded. “The woman I told you about? Her name is Selene Gallio. She’s an immortal sorceress who has been around for a thousand years, likely far more than that even. Thanks to my magic, I was informed of a major threat coming to the world in the distant future, and I am seeking her out to ask for her aid. I am here with you now both because I detest what Shaw is doing, and he is my best ticket to finding Hellfire.”  
Charles heavily fell back into his seat. “Immortal sorceresses and prophetic visions of judgment day. I can honestly say I was not expecting this.”  
Intrigued, I asked, “What were you expecting?”  
He looked up at me tiredly. “Not. This.”   
I chuckled at his exasperation, and said, “I am sorry to lay this on you, but I didn’t want you to think I don’t trust you. I have to leave once Shaw is dealt with, and there is little to nothing you can do to help me.”  
Erik nodded his head. “I won’t pretend to understand exactly what it is you’re facing, but if I can help, let me know. You’ve done more for these kids than any human ever has. I won’t forget that.”  
Charles nodded as well. “I don’t see any way I can help you, but if I can, I will.”  
I nodded to both men. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”  
Charles sat up straight in his chair, and motioned to the board. “Another game?”  
I smirked. “Why not?”  
I lost in ten moves.

X

That night, I was running through what I needed to iron out with everyone’s martial combat. They were improving, but not nearly fast enough. We’d be heading out far too soon. It was never really said how much time passed in the mansion, or if it was I never cared to learn, but the confrontation with Shaw had to be happening soon based on the news coming in from Moira.  
The Cuban Missile Crisis would start soon, and that was Shaw’s play. I had to get everyone in fighting shape before then.  
Erik and Charles could take care of themselves, so I’d only spent a few afternoons with them. Erik can fight, and is Magneto, while Charles is Charles, and will be sticking to the back lines. I made sure the two of them wouldn’t fall over throwing a punch, then called it good.  
Of the rest, Darwin is the best off. Armando is mature enough to take everything I say seriously, and his mutation works beautifully in tandem with his fighting. He’ll be fine.  
Sean and Angel should be airborne, but with Riptide’s presence being a sure thing, I hesitate to rely on them being out of harm’s way. He could knock them out of the sky fairly easily if given the chance. Everyone on the ground should be able to back them up though, so they should be alright.  
Alex, Raven, and Hank though, they’ll all be in the middle of everything. Alex’s control has come a long way, but even with that new control he’s a liability against Shaw, and not fast enough to combat Azazel. Raven’s still unsure of herself, and Hank hasn’t become Beast, so he’s much more vulnerable.  
I enter my room and sit down on the bed with a sigh.  
That brings up another line of inquiry. Should I try to stop Hank’s transformation? We haven’t talked much, so I don’t know if he’s still set on trying his ‘cure’, but I could potentially save him.   
There’s also Charles. I could stop him from being paralyzed. Actually, I may already have. Erik doesn’t seem like he’s going to become as megalomaniacal as he would have without my presence, so maybe I butterflied that whole fiasco away?  
If I haven’t though, then I need to. With Charles being able to walk, so much could be changed for the better. We could….  
I feel a pulse of magic, and instantly jump to my feet, on guard.  
It turns out I needn’t have worried. All that happens is a small portal opens up in the middle of the room, and an arm with a yellow sleeve drops a note through before retreating.  
The Ancient One….  
Hesitantly, I walk over and unfold the note. It read, Do not save him. The cost is far too great.  
I swallowed heavily, and sat back down on the bed.  
A short pulse of my own magic later and the letter burst into flames, and quickly disintegrated.  
I took a long, deep breath, and looked at the ceiling.  
That answered that question. Not only was Chalres still in danger, meaning Erik would still become Magneto, but if I interfered, untold havoc would be wrought. I couldn’t even ask her what would happen without giving away the fact that I’m still alive. I may be using a different name and have a different haircut, but my ‘disguise’ wouldn’t live up to scrutiny from someone who knows how I looked before.  
My breathing picked up in frequency, and I quickly transported myself to the mirror dimension.  
With an enraged roar, I unleashed my magic and tore into Xavier’s manor. I summoned lightning to blast away the exterior, opened bronze rifts to bisect supports, unleashed fireballs from my hands into the hall, and just did everything in my power to level the building.  
What’s the point of knowing the future if you can’t fucking fix anything?!  
I channeled dimensional energy into my body to strengthen and toughen it, then punched a nearby support column. It snapped under the force of my blow, and a section of the ceiling collapsed on top of me.  
I gritted my teeth, and roared again, a faint glow at the edges of my vision, but I ignored it.  
I sent my magic in a pulse around me, sending the debris away from me in a large sphere. The air cracked and hummed as violet lightning flowed around me. Lightning that reminded me of a time I fought in the space between dimensions and was saved by a strange power.  
I turned to a somehow still hanging mirror to confirm my suspicions, but what I saw did more to shock me than anything else.  
My black hair and tanned skin have been the way they are for a long time, but what hasn’t been there before were the glowing purple eyes, and long, glowing, violet lines that flowed in a pattern down my face. I followed their path, and tore my shirt off. The lines continued down my chest, and all the way down my legs as well. They weren’t straight, unbroken lines. Instead, they shifted and curved with my body.   
I called upon my training from Kamar-Taj, and managed to control my emotions. As I did, the glowing violet lines slowly faded away until they were gone once more. A quick glance at the mirror confirmed my eyes were back to their typical brown as well.  
So this effect was tied to my emotions somehow? That was good to know. This power saved my life once before, and if I was able to learn to harness it, I may find an edge I’ll need in the fight against Thanos. I’ll need to….  
“Rigel?” I heard from the destroyed room behind me.  
I took a deep breath, and set about fixing my appearance. I cleaned the debris off myself, then stitched my shirt back together with my magic. I took a moment to make sure no one would see me, then exited the mirror dimension. Emerging into an undestroyed mansion.  
I walked to my door, and pulled it open.  
“Raven. How can I help you?”  
She currently took the form of Jennifer Lawrence, and looked extremely nervous. She was biting her lip, and throwing glances over her shoulder. “Can I come in?” She asked hesitantly.  
I studied her for a moment, before moving to the side.  
She shot me a grateful smile, and hurried inside.  
I looked in the hall behind her to see if she was hiding from anyone, but there was no one else. When I closed the door and turned around, Raven had changed.  
She had changed back into her true, blue form. Sans clothing. She tried to stand tall under my gaze, but I caught her fidgeting.  
“Raven,” I began calmly. “why are you standing in the middle of my room without clothing?” I kept any inflection out of my voice, and continued to look her in the eyes.  
She swallowed heavily, and looked away in shame. “I….You think this is wrong?” She said accusingly, her nervous frown turning into a snarl.  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “That you’re walking around in the nude? Why would I?”   
She went to bite something back at me only to understand what I said a moment before doing so. Her jaw fell open, and she looked at me with wide eyes.  
I shrugged. “If you want to walk around naked that’s your business, not mine. Just be prepared for the perverted gazes you’re bound to come across. Now, was that all?”  
Raven’s jaw worked, but no sound came out. This was clearly not how she expected this conversation to go. She looked away from me once more. “You’re not disgusted?” She asked quietly.  
I had to hold in a sigh.  
Why was I having to deal with a young mutant’s body image problem right now? I am the least qualified individual to handle this, and I have no desire to. “What’s the issue Raven? There’s obviously something bothering you, and I would rather we get to the point.”  
She slowly looked back up at me. “I’m….I’m a mutant.”  
“I wasn’t aware that was a recent development.” I said with a raised eyebrow.  
Her eyebrows scrunched together as she looked up at me in frustration. “Why don’t you care? I’m standing right in front of you. A freak, and you didn’t even react! You….you even said people would find me d...desirable…” She trailed off.  
I had to hold in a long sigh.  
Why did she come to me? Why not anyone else?  
“Raven,” I began again. “I have no idea what problem it is you’re dealing with, but I am not the best person to ask for help. I’d recommend Charles or Erik.”  
She huffed and crossed her arms. “Charles. Right.”  
Ah. She already had her encounter with him it seemed. What exactly happened again? Actually, I didn’t care.  
“Raven. We’ll likely have to move out within the week. This is not the time to have an identity crisis. Now, what specifically is the issue you’re looking for help with?”  
She looked back up at me, and bit her lip. “Why….You said I should fight like this.” She motioned to her nude form. “Why?”  
“I believe I gave my reasoning. You’re more flexible, faster, and stronger in that form from what I’ve noticed. Your ability to change shape can be useful on the battlefield for subterfuge, but you should be comfortable fighting as yourself.”  
Her breathing picked up. “I don’t make you uncomfortable?”   
I gave her a deadpan stare. “Why would you make me uncomfortable? If you want to stroll around naked, again, that’s your prerogative. Plenty of tribes in Africa do the same. The only reason people in the US don’t is because it goes against cultural norms. If you want to throw those to the wind, then good for you. More power to you.” I really wasn’t as dense as I was playing, but I hoped to god I was reading the situation wrong. There was a novel full of reasons I couldn’t get involved in a relationship with Raven, and there’s also the fact that if I acted now, I’d be taking advantage of an emotionally unstable young woman.  
She took a hesitant step towards me. Then another. “Rigel….I…”  
“Raven.” I cut her off, looking her straight in the eye. “You’re a beautiful young woman, and you possess great character, but a relationship with me is impossible. I’m also not willing to have a one-night stand with you right now, as you’re clearly emotionally compromised.”  
Her eyes narrowed and she looked up at me in anger. “Impossible?” She spat out. “Because I’m a freak right?”  
“No.” I said patiently. “Because it wouldn’t be fair to you.”  
That stopped her, and while she wasn’t placated, she waited for me to finish.  
“As soon as we deal with Shaw, I’ll be leaving, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to return. I have too much I need to do.”  
Her features began to relax, then she shook her head. “We’ll help you. That way you won’t have to leave, so this can work.” She started towards me again.  
I placed a hand on each of her shoulders to maintain the distance between us. “Raven. I’m flattered, I really am, but we won’t work. None of you can help me with this, and it would be unfair to ask you to. You are not a freak. Do not refer to yourself as one.”  
Her face went through several different emotions. Hopeful, regretful, ashamed, sad, then finally settled on anger. She turned and left without another word. Slamming the door on her way out.  
I took a deep breath, and laid down on my bed.  
Screw this. I’d deal with everything in the morning.  
I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

X

Raven didn’t show up for martial training the next morning, and avoided me at every opportunity.  
I eventually managed to pull her aside and get her to agree to speak to me professionally. She agreed our mission was too important to let personal feelings get in the way, so while she wasn’t happy with me, we could still work together.

X

It wasn’t a week later that we got the call, and soon, all of us, plus a newly transformed Beast, were climbing aboard a sleek black jet.  
Alex, surprisingly enough, was glad I was coming with. Apparently he had grown to like me when I wasn’t looking.  
I really needed to get better about talking to people, but a decade’s worth of avoiding humanity was taking its toll.  
This was it. I was about to watch one of my only friends in this world paralyze another. What was it the Ancient One said? People like us must do what is right, whether it be easy or hard?  
This would be hard, but I had to do it anyway.


	8. 8

The Blackbird came out of stealth over the American’s blockade of Cuba. The Russians had brought their warships within firing distance, but had yet to get any closer. The only moving ship was a Russian freighter bound for the dividing line.  
The others were too focused on finding Shaw’s submarine to feel the gravity of this situation, but it weighed heavily on me.  
If my existence butterflied too many things, this could be the end of humanity. Of Earth. We wouldn’t even make it to Thanos. I had to do everything I could to make sure the world didn’t end in a nuclear fire of its own making.  
“Got him!” Beast growled, and he piloted the plane around after the submarine he picked up on sonar.   
“Erik. You’re up.” I said.  
He gave me a sharp nod, and stood from his seat. Charles followed after him.   
While the two of them did their thing, I continued to prod around with my magic.  
Neither the Americans nor the Russians had itchy trigger fingers yet, but I needed to keep an eye on them. Any slight change to the timeline might….  
What was that?  
I felt a pulse of magic coming from below the ship. There shouldn’t be any other mages here. I was the only one that….  
My train of thought was interrupted when the plane lurched violently to the side.  
I had been so focused on the unexpected magical signature that I missed Riptide creating a vortex right below us.  
“Hang on!” Hank called back as several warning lights and beeps were emitted by the plane.  
We were going down.  
Angel, Darwin, Sean, Raven, Alex, Hank, and Moira were all strapped in, but Charles and Erik began to roll around like dice in a Yahtzee cup.   
Subtly, I removed as much of their momentum as I could, which gave Erik just enough time to latch onto Charles and pin them both against the metal wall of the plane.  
Not a moment too soon, as we came crashing onto solid ground right after.  
Once the plane stopped sliding, I unfastened myself and began checking everyone over. Darwin, Alex, Hank, Moira, and Sean were all fine, but Angel and Raven were unsteady on their feet.  
“Stay here until you can walk without falling over.” I ordered them, then turned to Moira. “Watch them.”  
She gave me a sharp nod, then moved off to her radio equipment, trying futilely to get into contact with anyone.  
“Let’s go!” Erik yelled, and led the other mutants out of the ship.  
I followed behind them, and came to a stop with the rest when we came face to face with our opposition.  
Riptide and Azazel I expected, the man with unkempt brown hair and a matching trench coat, as well as the pale, black haired woman in a flowing black dress, I most certainly did not.  
It seemed that Shaw went recruiting when his pitch with the kids failed as spectacularly as it did.  
Azazel, now wielding a brand new sword, motioned towards me. “Him.” He snarled in his thick russian accent.  
I tensed as the mutants on my side looked to me in confusion.  
The pale, black haired woman smiled wide, and began to stroll forward. “Hello there. I’ve heard a lot about you, Rigel. You’ve been poking your nose where it really shouldn’t be.”  
Deciding to roll with this, as there wasn’t anything else I could do at this point, I replied, “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Miss?”  
“Gallio.” She said with an exaggerated curtsy. “Selene Gallio.”  
Erik’s head snapped to look at me, but my focus never left Selene.  
This situation just went from manageable to dire. Selene is close to the Ancient One’s level if what she told me is true, and I believe her. I’ve been getting better, but there’s no way I could beat the Ancient One if she went all out.  
Wait, she said she’s heard of me? Did I not cover my tracks well enough while I was looking for other magical communities?   
I needed to focus. That wasn’t important right now.  
“Erik.” I said sharply. “Keep the kids safe, and tell Charles to check for more.”  
The rest of the mutants on our side looked between the two of us in confusion, but Erik just nodded, and stepped in front of the kids.  
“Can we kill ‘em yet?” The mutant in the brown trench coat asked as he began scratching his face. His fingernails slowly sharpened into long claws as he did so.  
Sabertooth. When it rained it poured apparently.  
Selene, still wearing a vicious grin, marched towards me. She held her hands out to her side, and they came alive with a dangerous violet light. “Shall we play?” She asked, her eyes glued to mine.  
That’s how she wanted to play it? Fine.  
I slammed my hand into the ground, creating my floating rune to the surprise of everyone but Eric and Selene.   
Selene only seemed to grin wider in fact.  
I rose to my full height as the rune lifted me off the ground. “I suppose so.” I finally said in answer to Selene’s question, and created a rune in front of me that fired a bolt of lightning at her.  
She easily batted it aside, and her eyes took on a deadly gleam. Her hair began to dance wildly, and her feet lifted off the ground. She followed me up into the air, and unleashed her own violet lightning at me.  
I conjured a rune to deflect it, and took off even higher into the sky, and away from the mutants. They were going to have a hard enough time dealing with Victor, so I needed to keep Selene off them as long as I could.  
I had no idea why she was here, but the fact she was spelled ill for us.  
Selene lazily followed after me. Her dress and hair billowing in the mystical breeze that I assumed powered her flight.  
“Why are you here?” I yelled when I had come to a stop a sufficient distance over the water away from the mutants.  
“Oh Rigel, I thought it was obvious. I’m here for you. It’s not everyday you hear tell of a new immortal joining the ranks of Earth’s greatest.”  
I couldn’t help it as the shock showed on my face, and I cursed myself when I saw her grin grow wider. She wasn't sure, and I just confirmed it for her. Wonderful.  
“We don’t have to fight.” I tried. “I’ve been trying to find you so we could talk. We don’t have to do this.”  
She just chuckled at me. “That’s where you’re wrong. I don’t make time for just anyone.” The wind around her began to pick up dangerously, and her smile grew deranged. “Prove you’re worthy of my time.” And like a flash, she was on me.  
I had no idea where she appeared from, but she was suddenly trying to shove a blade of purple energy through my chest.  
I dispelled my flying rune, and gave gravity an extra kick to propel me away from the blade. As I fell, I condensed the water in the air, then froze it, creating an array of violently sharp icicles. I fired them all towards Selene, then created another floatation rune even as I slowed my descent.  
Selene laughed at my assault, and swept her hand in a wide arc. A torrent of fire accompanied the motion, and evaporated all of my projectiles. “More!” She shouted, and flew down towards me. A roar of wind accompanying the motion.  
I gritted my teeth, and opened a portal facing towards Selene with my sling ring. She had only a moment’s warning before a veritable torrent of water fired towards her at extreme speeds.  
I had tested this ability only once before, and deigned to only use it when needed. The original idea had been to create a portal to the bottom of the ocean. An idea I immediately dismissed when I realized that it might cause worldwide tsunamis. I adapted the strategy to take water from an undiscovered waterfall I liked to spend time meditating at. It wasn’t as deadly as the pressure of the ocean’s depths, but it also wouldn’t wreck the ecosystem with each use.  
Selene flew out of the path of the canon of water, and I turned the portal to follow her.  
She showed off a sadistic grin, and disappeared with a burst of black shadows.  
I quickly closed the portal, letting the large amount of water that made it through fall down into the sea. I looked around for Selene, but found nothing, so I began to feel around with my magic to try and locate her that way.  
I felt a faint pulse of magic from behind me, and spun around just as Selene reconstituted herself. She thrust her arm forward and a bolt of purple energy flew towards me. I deflected it, but wasn’t fast enough to stop her follow up attack when she rapidly condensed the air around me, causing an explosion.  
It threw me off my rune, which faded without my presence, and I began to fall again. I was too close to the water this time to slow myself down, so instead I reached forward.  
The sea answered my command, and rose up into a makeshift, very steep water slide. I slid down the side, and was slowly consumed by the water as I got closer to the ocean level. With a burst of magic, the water propelled me back out from under the surface, and I landed on my feet atop the water.  
This trick took a while to figure out, but I was bored, and had the time to kill. I basically just channel dimensional energy into the bottom of my feet, and use it to magically alter the water below me so I'm able to stand on it.  
I looked down at my drenched clothes, and frowned. With a wave of my hand my Hank-made flight suit was gone, and in its place was a set of combat robes. Not of the design of Kamar-Taj robes, I didn't want to be associated with them for obvious reasons, but they were comfortable to move and fight in.  
I took a quick look around my surroundings, and found myself to be in the exact worst place possible. Standing atop the open ocean between the Russian and American fleets.  
My picture is going to be around the entire world by tomorrow morning.  
Thinking quickly, I layered an illusion on my face to alter it significantly. No one would be able to determine who I was now without already knowing.  
The sound of joyful laughter drew my gaze up, and I watched Selene descend towards me. “Amazing!” She cheered. “Absolutely amazing! I haven't had this much fun in years.” Her eyes took on a dangerous glint as she landed atop the water and began striding towards me. “Entertain me more!” She charged, her body coating itself in her purple magic.  
I roared out a challenge and charged in turn.  
I was not losing this fight.  
As I ran, I saturated the water I passed with magic, and began pulling it along behind me.  
The ocean roared and churned with my passing, making clear its displeasure at my presence.  
My eyes were locked onto Selene’s manic grin, but I was able to see the water rising behind her. She was doing the same thing I was, only more flashy. The water she was dragging with her had morphed itself into a stampede of horses running atop the water behind her.  
When we got close enough to each other, we both skidded to a stop and thrust our arms forward. Selene’s stampede doubled in speed towards me, and it was met by two large swirling water dragons straight out of Naruto.  
I can be flashy too.  
The dragons met the horses and broke against each other, sending large waves in all directions, but I didn’t pay attention to them. I only had eyes for Selene. I found her in an undrenched pocket of water, and lept towards her, two bronze scimitars glowing brightly in my hands  
She jumped up to meet me wielding her own violet blades, and we landed on the top of a large wave. We both found our balance, then met in combat.  
We rode the wave as we hacked at and blocked one-another. I slashed low only for her to use the water to push her legs away, and she went high just for me to sink lower into the water.  
We were so caught up in our fight that we didn’t notice when the wave we were standing atop crashed into an American battleship, throwing us both onto its deck.  
There was a moment of stunned silence from the soldiers on the ship. It ended abruptly when Selene and I ignored them all in favor of trying to cut each other’s heads off.  
The two of us continued our deadly dance while rifles were aimed towards us and commands were given to cease our fight.  
Neither of us felt threatened.  
An officer gave the order to fire, but it was drowned out by Selene’s laughter which was slowly getting louder. “So. Much. FUN!” On her final word, she unleashed a sonic spell that put Banshee’s wail to shame. It shattered all the glass on this ship, and the ones on either side of it.  
The soldiers collapsed to the ground holding their ruptured eardrums, but I just charged forward attempting to skewer the witch. I had felt her preparing the spell, so I had plenty of time to protect myself from its effects.  
She blocked my strike, and our blades locked together.  
“This stays between us!” I bellowed.  
She just grinned. “Then keep me entertained.” She pushed away from me and took back to the sky.  
I glared at her flying form, and the corners of my vision gained the faintest purple hue.  
It was then that I got a terrible idea.  
It would probably get me killed, but Selene had been playing with me this whole time. I needed something that would surprise her, and maybe win the fight. If I didn’t end it before she got serious, I was dead anyways.  
I forced as much dimensional energy into my body as I could contain, then tilted my head back and roared.  
I lit up like a beacon. The afternoon light of the sun became saturated by a bright violet light.  
Selene abruptly halted in the air, and slowly turned to look at me.  
I knew even without looking that the strange form I saw in the mirror dimension was back. My eyes were shining purple, and mystical lines up and down my body were pulsing with energy.  
Selene’s smile turned into an expression of shock, then slowly morphed into a hungry grin.   
That could not mean good things for me.  
Trying to end the fight quickly, I leapt back into the air and fired a beam of violet energy at her.  
Her grin only grew wider as she brought her hand up and simply stopped the beam in its tracks.  
A subconscious part of me realized I was flying without my rune, but I was too focused on putting Selene out of action to care.  
I flew up to her, hoping she was too focused on the beam to notice, and tried to sneak a blade under her guard. The same subconscious part of me realized that my blade was purple. Not bronze.  
Without looking, Selene caught the blade in her free hand, and stared through the beam to look me in the eyes. there was a strange look in her own green orbs. “So long….I’ve waited so long….”  
I couldn’t track her arm as it dispersed my beam, summoned a spell, and connected with my nose all in the span of time it would take a normal person to blink.  
I nearly fell out of the sky, and my violet aura flickered off then back on with the hit, but I wasn’t done yet.  
Out of options, I decided to try my last resort.  
I sped in close to the hovering woman and lashed out at her with a purple scimitar.   
She easily caught that one too, but I was counting on it.  
I abandoned my grip on the sword, and instead latched onto her. I turned my grip to steel with magic, then screamed and let out every ounce of dimensional energy in my body trying to blow her away.  
A large sphere of purple energy emerged out from me and swallowed Selene and myself. The following explosion shattered the glass on the four nearest Russian ships.  
Having spent all my energy on that attack, I began to lose consciousness. I felt around to see if I got Selene, and felt her presence, strong as ever, hauling me along behind her.  
Thi….this wasn’t…. good….  
I fell into darkness.


	9. 9

I woke up.  
A fact that legitimately surprised me. I would’ve thought I’d have been dissected by now.  
I probed around with my magic, and instantly regretted it.  
There was a well of power immediately to my left that most definitely felt my casting, and now knew I was awake.  
I tried to roll to my feet, but my body didn’t respond. Everything just lit on fire, causing me to let out a sharp cry.  
“Hmm, I wouldn’t try to move if I were you. You did quite the number on your body with that last spell. Honestly though, it was impressive. It may have even killed me if I did not have ample time to prepare.”  
I opened my eyes slowly, and tilted my head to the left. The movement hurt, but so long as I moved slow it was manageable.  
Selene sat on a simple wooden chair next to my bed, reading a newspaper of all things.  
She smirked when she saw me looking at her, and turned the paper around. “We made the front page.”  
As much as I wanted to keep her in my eyeline, there was absolutely nothing I could do to defend myself right now. If I couldn’t beat her at my best, I’m not going to be able to beat her at my worst.  
I turned from her to observe the newspaper.  
Sure enough, half the front page was taken up by a picture of the two of us. More specifically, the point in our fight where we were standing on the water with horses and dragons behind us. Of course the cameraman got the single most terrifying picture possible.  
Selene pulled the paper back, and tossed it onto a nearby table. She turned back to me, and grinned, not saying anything.  
That wasn’t creepy at all.  
“Why am I alive?” I croaked. Man my throat was dry.  
Rather than answer straight away, Selene reached behind her and pulled out a small glass vial with a yellow liquid in it. She uncorked it, and held it up to my lips.  
I kept them closed for only a moment before parting them. If it was some sort of mind control potion, I had no conceivable way of fighting her off, so I may as well get it over with.  
Surprisingly, it wasn’t a mind control potion. The moment the liquid flowed down my throat I began to feel better. Not much mind, but well enough to talk.  
“A simple healing potion.” Selene explained as she put the vial away. “Not enough to restore you completely, but enough to help the process along.”  
“Thanks.” I said genuinely, then added, “Now why am I alive?”  
“Because it would be a waste to kill you.” Selene finally answered. “I told you I only offer my time to those who deserve it, and you certainly do.”  
I tried to laugh, but it turned into a wheeze. The potion certainly helped, but I was far from one-hundred percent right now. “If I remember things correctly, I did everything in my power to stop you, and you just laughed it away. Then you walked through my strongest attack just to show you could. How exactly did I prove myself?”  
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “You’re young, and inexperienced. I can’t imagine you saw much actual combat at Kamar-Taj, and the Ancient One tends to coddle her charges. You’ve never had a real teacher, and you still fought well despite that fact.”  
Of course she unraveled everything about me from a five minute long fight. Why was I looking for her again?  
“So I somehow managed to impress you. Good for me. What happens now?” I was not in the mood to play word games right now.  
She smiled wickedly. “That is up to you. If you wish, I will simply leave you here. I have a large number of safehouses, so surrendering this one to you won’t harm me in the slightest. You could stay here, recover, and then move on with your life.”  
I narrowed my eyes at her. “And the ‘or’?”  
She chuckled. “Or you could become my apprentice.”  
There was a long five seconds of silence as I processed that sentence.   
“I must be concussed because I could have sworn you just offered to train me.”  
“I did.” She responded seriously.  
Huh.  
“Why?” I asked, dumbfounded. “I doubt I’m anywhere near skilled enough for you to spend a large portion of time training me.”  
“You are correct. Your skill was surprising, but not so impressive as to draw my attention. What did, was this.” She leaned forward, and held her hand up to me. It came to life with the same violet magic she used in our ‘fight’.  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “So you’re interested in my weird purple magic? You’re not just looking to use me as a lab rat are you?”  
She let out a frustrated sigh. “You have no idea what this is do you?”  
“I just referred to it as ‘weird purple magic’, so no. I have no idea what it is.”  
Her mouth set into a hard line. “The Ancient One never helped you research it?”  
I snorted. “She doesn’t know about it. I left Kamar-Taj the day I discovered it.”  
That seemed to amuse Selene immensely, as she started laughing. “Of course. Only when you truly became yourself did it awaken.”  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You’ve lost me.”  
She leaned forward again. “As you no doubt learned with the monks, magic comes from three sources. Personal Energy, universal energy, and dimensional energy. The monks use dimensional energy.”  
I nodded along. “Yes, I did learn this at Kamar-Taj, but I fail to see what that has to do with what I fought you with.”  
She smiled. “Because it comes from a different source.”  
That caused me to pause. “Come again?”  
“The magic you utilized comes from a different source than the main three. The same magic I can use.” She looked into my eyes, and there I found….joy? “I have searched thousands of years for someone with the same power as myself, but there was no one. Until you.”  
I blinked, and shook my head. “That’s a lot to take in all at once. You mean to tell me we're using an undiscovered energy source for our magic?”  
She nodded. “A unique one. One only the two of us have access to.”  
Suddenly, I understood. “That’s why you want to train me. You want to see what else you can learn about it.”  
She sighed.  
Okay, maybe I don’t get it….  
“No.” She said. “I want to train you because I long for an equal. One whom I cannot best, and who in turn cannot best me.”  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Why not the Ancient One? She’s likely the strongest magic user in the world, and the way she tells it, she’s stronger than you are.”  
She pursed her lips, but nodded. “I concede that she is currently stronger than I am, but she will not remain so for long. By tethering herself to the dark dimension she has eliminated any possibility for herself to grow in strength. She has hit an insurmountable peak in her ability.”  
Umm….I knew for a fact that was incorrect. I’ve been pulling from the dark dimension for over a decade and have been getting steadily stronger the whole time.   
“You’re wrong.” I say.  
She tilts her head at me, confused, then smiles. “Because you yourself use the dark dimension to halt your aging, yes? Your growth during this time was due to your other magic. Not the dimensional energy, but the other.”  
I shook my head. “I haven’t been able to use it since I first discovered it, and a few days before I fought you. I haven’t been using it.”  
Selene nodded, as if she expected that answer. “That is because it has been ensuring you are able to grow. It has been bypassing the limitation of the dark dimension, and steadily growing your strength. It could not do that while simultaneously being cast.”  
“And you know this how?”  
She smirked. “I am quite literally the only expert in the universe, so you will have to take my word for it.”  
“Fair enough.”  
“So,” She began as her gaze turned hungry. “what do you think of my proposal?”  
“About becoming your apprentice?” I asked.  
She nodded.  
“I won’t lie, it’s tempting. I need to get stronger, and I’d really like to learn how to use the aptly named weird purple magic, but I just don’t trust you.”  
Her smile turned into a frown. “I am the only teacher you will ever find who can assist you in this, and I can show you other, less costly, paths to immortality that will let your outer energy free.”  
“Outer energy? Is that what you call the weird purple magic?”  
She snarled, and stood. Looming over me. “I can make you stronger than the Asgardian gods. I can teach you secrets forgotten by history. I can teach you to live forever without crippling yourself. I am your single greatest hope.”  
“You aren’t used to being told ‘no’ are you?” I asked sarcastically as I turned to look up at her. “I don’t doubt a word of what you just said, but I don’t trust you not to train me only to absorb all my power once I reach a suitable milestone. I don’t know you, and your insistence is causing my distrust to swell.”  
She took a deep breath, and stared down at my prone form. “You were searching for me for over a decade. Why search for someone if when you find them you curl away in fear?”  
Ignoring the fact that she somehow knew I was looking for her, I said, “The situation has changed drastically. Before, you were a potential ally against a world ending threat. Now? Now you’re a potentially unstable woman who tried to kill me the moment she met me because she wanted to test me. An ally like that is more a liability than anything else, so there isn’t anything I want from you any more.”  
Her eyes narrowed. “What world ending threat?”  
“A big purple man.” I say with a completely straight face.  
She considers my expression for a moment, then nods. “I will look into this.”  
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You’re just taking that at face value?”  
“You are not lying.” She said confidently. “The potion I gave you was also a subtle truth serum, you have been incapable of lying since you imbibed it.”  
Ignoring the dismissive way in which she admitted to drugging me, I just shrugged. “Good thing I do my very best not to lie to people. I may withhold information, but I try not to lie. Honesty has worked quite well for me so far, so I don’t plan to become a liar any time soon.”  
She nodded in agreement. “I too follow this line of thinking. It is much easier to fool others with the truth.”  
I shrugged. “Not quite what I meant, but you get the idea.”  
We lapsed back into silence, and she stared down at me in thought.  
I couldn’t easily determine what she was thinking, but there was a faint undercurrent of….hope? Yeah, I had to be concussed.  
“What will it take for you to accept my offer?” She asked suddenly.  
“You want me that bad?” I asked, sceptical.  
“I have been searching for you for longer than civilizations have stood. Name your price.”  
Ok, I can honestly say this is not how I expected my kidnapping to go. I thought I would be slowly tortured to death, then cut up into little tiny pieces, then those little tiny pieces would be used in various experiments that spat in the face of nature, but I wouldn’t be around to care because of the whole me being dead thing. This is downright pleasant by comparison.  
Thinking the offer over, it was honestly not a bad deal. I didn’t think she was lying about the dark dimension’s affect on my magic, and I also didn’t think she was lying about being willing to teach me how to live forever another way. On the other hand, she really wants me. The ‘absorbing all my power’ theory is looking more and more probable by the second.  
I inhaled deeply, then let out a long breath. I turned to look up at Selene and held her gaze. “My price is two-fold. Item one, I am free to come and go as I please. I will not shirk pre established training sessions, but when there are no such obligations I am free to leave whenever I wish.”  
Selene nodded. “Acceptable. The second?”  
“You help fight the big purple man. I’ve been doing what I can to prepare for him, but my preparations are, admittedly, terrible. I need to seriously improve my planning, and an immortal sorceress who has seen the rise and fall of civilizations will be a much greater long term planner than I am. You help me stop Thanos.”  
She tilted her head. “So Thanos is his name. I will remember it.” She righted her head, and nodded to me once more. “This, as well, is acceptable. I would have aided you even without this agreement. Threats to Earth threaten us all. To stand aside would not only be the height of cowardice, but stupidity as well. I accept these conditions.”  
I smiled. “Wonderful. Since we’ve come to an agreement, would you mind telling me what happened with Shaw and the X-Men?” I had been resisting the urge to ask since I woke up, but I had finally lost the battle.  
Given that we weren’t blown up, World War three didn’t start yet, so that at least was good news.  
Selene picked up the newspaper she was reading before and held it out to me. “You will need to remain in bed for at least three days while you heal. I will bring you meals, and watch over you. Once you are well once more, we shall begin.”  
I took the newspaper with a grateful nod, and as an afterthought, asked, “When will the truth serum effect fade?”  
She just grinned at me. “I am gifted, but even I cannot create a healing potion that also compels he who imbibed it to tell the truth.” With that, she walked out of the small stone room that served as my recovery chamber.  
I couldn’t help it, I laughed as she closed the door.  
She didn’t know if I was lying, so she threw a wrench at me to see how I reacted, and learned I had been truthful because of how I reacted. She is incredibly crafty.  
I turned my attention to the newspaper in my hands, and grew serious. I read through it as fast as I could, and set it down with a sigh.  
This only has the public story, so I won’t know what happened with Charles, Erik, Shaw, or the captains of the various ships from the two fleets, but overall everything seems to have turned out well. The cruiser turned around and noped out of its mission when it saw Selene and I battling in its path, apparently Azazel hadn’t killed everyone, and the fleets went home after the fact.  
Sadly, mutants were painted as the enemy through the whole collection of articles, and the fact that Selene and I had been deemed mutants wasn’t helping matters. It was hard to decide if it was better that everyone thought I was a mutant, or if it would be better if everyone knew I was a mage. It would create a whole host of other problems, but the mutants wouldn’t be as smeared as they were. I’ll need to visit Charles, and hopefully Erik, once I’m recovered.  
With that last thought, I leaned back against my pillow, and went to sleep.

x

Selene kept her word. She had intended to begin my instruction the moment I was healed, but I informed her I needed to get in contact with the mutants. She gave me a short nod, and told me to return soon.  
It would be easy with my sling ring, and I didn’t exactly have to worry about being seen. Her safehouse happened to be a cave cut into a mountain in Africa. Supposedly she’s used this location for hundreds of years.  
I believed her.  
I sling ringed back to my room at Xavier’s manor, and began looking around for everyone.  
I found a lot less than I’d hoped.  
I was only able to sense Darwin, Banshee, Alex, Hank, and Charles. Moira, Raven, Angel, and Erik weren’t here. Charles was also in a wheelchair, and currently alone in his room.  
I walked up to the door, and knocked quietly. “Charles?”  
“Come in.” He instantly answered, and I heard him moving towards the door.  
I did as he bade, and walked into the room.  
When he saw me, his eyes lit up. He threw his arms wide, and wrapped them around my waist. “We thought you were dead! How did you get away?”  
I smiled down at him, and took a seat on a nearby chair. “Turns out, she’s an even more complicated woman than even I thought. We’ve come to an agreement.”  
Charles’s bright expression dimmed considerably. “You’re working with that witch? Rigel, she nearly killed an entire vessel’s worth of soldiers. The majority of whom will never be able to hear again.”  
I lowered my head. “I’m sorry.” I said somberly.  
Charles narrowed his eyes at me. “But you won’t stop working with her?”  
I shook my head sadly. “I need her Charles.”  
He didn’t respond.  
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked to fill the silence.  
He scoffed. “Yes. You could have been there.”  
I frowned. “Charles, that’s not fair. I…”  
“I’m glad you’re alive, Rigel. Please leave the same way you came in. I wouldn’t want the young men out there to be as disappointed as I am.” He turned around, and started looking over his bookshelves. More to avoid looking at me than anything else.  
I watched his back for a full half minute, but he did not back down.  
Finally, I stood, and exited the office. As I closed the door, I said, “You’re hurting Charles, I get that, but don’t take it out on others. You’re a telepath. You know better than anyone how easy it is for the mind to grow sick.” I moved to close the door, but stopped when Charles spoke up.  
“Rigel?” He said without turning around. “Don’t come back.”  
I froze as the words washed over me.  
That….that hurt. More than I’ve been hurt in this life. I didn’t know how to react, so I didn’t. I took a step, and sling ringed out of Xavier’s mansion.

x

“You’re alive.” Magneto said as I walked up to him. For that is who I was talking to. Not Erik, but Magneto.  
It had taken me three days to track down him and his burgeoning Brotherhood of Mutants. They were camped out in a forest deep in Russia. I couldn’t pinpoint our exact location on a map, but I could return at any time with my sling ring.  
“I am.” I responded. “It’s good to see you safe as well.”  
He nodded, the helmet he claimed from Shaw making the motion that much more pronounced. “What happened with Selene?”  
“She and I have come to an agreement. We will no longer try to kill each other, and she’ll help me with the problem we discussed in exchange for some allowances on my part.”  
“Are you safe?” He asked seriously, surprising me.  
I nodded. “Yes, thank you for your concern though.”  
We lapsed into silence.  
“I’m sorry our fight has made things more difficult for you and everyone.” I said sincerely. The world was using the picture of Selene and I going at it as probable cause to deal with the ‘mutant threat’.  
Magneto shook his head. “It is not your fault. What was it you said? ‘Humans don’t respond well when they’re afraid?’ You were right. Even if your battle hadn’t happened, they would have found an excuse to fire upon us.”  
My stomach dropped. “They what?”  
He smirked in dark humor. “The Americans and Russians both tried to exterminate us. Nothing unites humanity like a common fear. We will need to lay low and gather our strength, but we won’t be silent forever.”  
I watched him for a moment. “I’m glad you’re safe Erik, and I’m glad you’re protecting your fellow mutants. Just….stay safe. Give Angel and Raven my regards.” There was nothing I could say that would change his mind, or his methods going forward. The best I could hope was for us to part now on good terms. I doubted that would be the case going forward.  
He nodded. “I’ll tell them, and stay safe yourself.”  
I opened a portal behind me, and strode through it without looking back.  
Selene was waiting for me on the other side.  
“Shall we begin?” She asked with an anticipatory grin as the portal closed behind me.  
I nodded. “Yes.”


	10. 10

I took a sip of my tea, and watched the people move around me. “Those two.” I motioned to a couple walking their dog. The man looked to be infuriated about something, but his girlfriend/wife seemed oblivious and was happily chatting away.  
Across from me, Selene grinned. “Very well.” She sat up straight, then plastered an obviously fake smile on her face. “Oh honey! I’m so glad my mother’s staying with us! It’s wonderful to have her around!” She said in an exaggeratedly high pitched voice.  
I morphed my own face into as close to a match as the husband’s as I could. “Yes honey. I love you honey.”  
Selene grinned, then continued the act. “Oh! Do you think she’d like some flowers? I think we should get some flowers for her!”  
My features didn’t shift an inch. “Yes honey. I love you honey.”  
Selene outright laughed, letting the facade fade. “Minimalist, but quite appropriate in this case.”  
I grinned, and raised my teacup to her. “I learned from the best.”  
She smiled, and raised her own cup. “That you did.” We both drank.  
This is one of the many games Selene has played over the years to keep herself from going insane. She would go to a bustling part of a city, people watch, and then pretend to live the lives of those around her.  
It turns out that even immortal sorceresses dedicated to the advancement of their absurd power have hobbies. Who knew?  
It had been a decade since the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I’d spent the time with Selene as she steadily taught me magic.  
In that time, I was able to gain a rudimentary understanding of potions and enchanting, as well as grow very good with my ‘outer energy’ as Selene referred to it.  
She was right, as I’ve come to find is often the case. The dark dimension was greatly inhibiting my growth, and once I disconnected from it, I was able to truly practice with my unique magic.   
Aside from being able to do just about everything that dimensional energy does, it has a few more esoterik properties that I’m still figuring out. That’s the one area Selene can’t help me with. She said she noticed the strange interactions her magic sometimes had, but she had yet to find a use for them, so we were figuring it out together.  
Another fun thing outer energy does, is makes its users immortal. I laughed out loud at the irony when Selene told me that.  
I had just disconnected from the dark dimension, and had asked her how I was going to regain my immortality.   
She simply said, “Outer energy is what made me immortal, and it has already had the same effect on you. Congratulations! Now back to more important matters.”  
That was when I started laughing.  
It was just too ironic. When I was born in this world, I threw myself to the Ancient One in the hopes she’d make me immortal, then she did when I had accepted death, and that very immortality hindered the immortality I would have gained had I never gone to Kamar-Taj.  
Selene didn’t find it as funny as I did, but that’s alright. Her sense of humor is an acquired taste.  
Speaking of Selene, she has been doing her part to prepare for the big purple man. Her position as the Black Queen is rarely challenged, and provides her with benefits you could not find anywhere else. She has access to just about every major company on the planet, and more than half of the world’s governments, and that’s just through her contacts. With her magic, she can do just about anything she wants.  
She’s been using said influence and magic to kick a little more funding Stark Industries way at my prompting. She didn’t understand my reasoning, but has grown to trust my judgement, if only in matters involving Thanos.  
I sipped at my tea, and finally opened the newspaper I had been neglecting in favor of Selene’s game. The headline nearly made me spit out my tea.  
“What is it?” Selene asked seriously, immediately recognizing my mood shift.  
“A bunch of idiots.” I bit out. “They’re making a weapon to hunt mutants, we need to stop them and destroy all their progress.”  
Selene’s eyes narrowed. “Are they truly that stupid?” She stopped, then shook her head. “Nevermind, I have answered my own question.” She quickly drank the rest of her tea, and stood. “Where do we need to go?”  
I stood alongside her. “Trask Industries. Did you not hear about this from Hellfire?”  
She shrugged. “I only pay attention to the meetings when they interest me, and those are only the ones I show up for. Now, where are we going?” She repeated.   
I gave a shrug of my own. “I don’t know where their headquarters is, but if we destroy enough buildings we’ll find it.”  
Selene smirked at me. “Rampant destruction of government property? This promises to be fun.”

x

I was honestly expecting this to be difficult. I mean, we were trying to eradicate Sentinels. Murder machines that put the terminator to shame, and nearly brought about the end of humanity and mutants both.  
Turns out that when you arrive before said machines have truly become a problem, it’s incredibly easy to fix the issue. Especially when you and your partner are able to teleport, turn invisible, and destroy just about anything in your path.  
It was not a good few days for Trask Industries.  
Selene and I strolled out of yet another burning building, though this time our mood was far from joyous.  
“We’re killing Trask the moment we see him.” I hissed.  
Selene nodded. “Not slowly either. Monsters of his caliber don’t deserve a quick death.”  
As we tore through the various buildings we’ve destroyed. We would check over their files, both in paper and on their computers. Prior to this building we’d found nothing too infuriating, just blueprints for the Sentinels, and failed attempts to neutralize the mutant gene.  
In this building though, we found something much worse. Pictures, and film, that detailed the live dissection of Riptide. I, of course, mean ‘live’ in the sense that Riptide was still conscious when they started cutting into him. Apparently, that made the results more, ‘applicable to the field’.   
Even Selene was disgusted by it, and her own hands are far from clean. She earned her title as an uncaring bitch. Over the centuries, she’s killed, pillaged, tortured, and more, but she has a code, hard to understand as it is. She doesn't move against those she feels don't deserve it, and in her eyes, Riptide didn't. He was cut open for no reason other than because he was different.  
As if that hadn’t been enough, we found a large insect-like wing. One I’d seen before. It was one of Angel’s.  
By looking over the after action report, the picture of what happened solidified itself. Angel had been knocked out of the air while the mutants were attempting to flee, and she was quickly surrounded. They tried to neutralize her by taking her wings, but only got one before Riptide came back for her. He held them off while she ran, and he was tortured to death for it.  
I may not have liked the man, but he gave his life for someone I called a friend, and he didn’t deserve to die like he did.  
We teleported Angel’s wing to one of Selene’s safehouses, then torched the facility, destroying everything. They wouldn’t be able to recover any of the files here.  
Everything, that is, except a folder Selene filled with various papers, files, and films, but I ignored it. I was too pissed to get into an argument with her.  
We returned to the safehouse, and parted ways. Selene was needed for her Hellfire obligations, and I had a project I needed to get started on.  
I gathered various herbs from around the world, then teleported to one of Selene’s smaller alchemy labs. It took me a few days, but I eventually finished the newly created potion to an acceptable standard.   
The thing about alchemy is that it's very time intensive. Especially when trying to make a potion you, or someone you know, hasn't before. Neither Selene nor myself have ever had a reason to try to restore insect wings, so it took a little longer than I'd have liked.   
The finished project was worth it though. Angel’s wing was free of decay, and ready to be reattached. We just needed to find her now, which wouldn’t be too difficult. It was simple to track someone with magic if you knew them and they didn’t know how to mask their presence.  
I was preparing to track down the Brotherhood when Selene returned more angry than usual.  
“How did it go?” I gently asked as she stormed around the lab.  
She scoffed. “The worms assumed to order me to fix their problem.”  
I raised an eyebrow. “They’re still alive?” Code or not, you really shouldn’t mess with Selene. She had a habit of killing anything that made her angry. It was honestly kind of concerning how ok I was becoming with the whole thing.  
She grinned evilly. “Only so they may pass on a lesson they are about to learn. Come.” She turned around, and opened a portal.  
I cast a few preservation spells over Angel’s wing, and moved after her. “Where are we going?”  
“Several ‘higher’ members of Hellfire are losing money due to Trask Industries' recent turn of bad luck. They ordered me to fix the problem, so we’re very publicly going to worsen the problem.”  
I snorted, then started laughing.  
They wanted Selene to fix a problem, not knowing she was one of the instigators, and thought the best way to go about that was to make demands of her? Yeah, that was going to go over well.  
The portal let us out in front of Trask Industries’ HQ, and I hastily cast an illusion over my face to make me look like I did the day Selene and I fought during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Over the years, whenever Selene has dragged me to one of these public showings, I made sure to alter my appearance so no one can connect me to my true face.  
Selene strode forward, the air taking on a dangerous hum around her. She waved her hand impatiently, and the doors ripped off their hinges in front of her.  
Shaking my head at her antics, I followed behind.  
“Where is Trask?” Selene demanded, her amplified voice carrying throughout the facility. “He and I need to have a discussion.”  
Security guards poured out of various rooms, and started leveling weapons in our directions.  
“Lay down on the ground with your hands on your head!” Someone important looking bellowed.  
Selene just rolled her eyes and flicked her wrist. All of the guns went flying out of their owners hands, and she repeated herself. “Where. Is. Trask?!”  
I stood behind her with my hands tucked into my pockets as I scanned around for him. First floor? Nope. Second floor? Nope. Third floor? Ooh, nice statue, also nope. Fourth floor? Bingo.  
“Found him.” I said calmly, and I summoned my shadow up to swallow me.  
This was another trick Selene showed me. It’s basically a small scale teleport that can carry you to other shadows. It’s not nearly as powerful as a portal, but it does work great for intimidation purposes, and it’s much faster than creating a portal, so it’s better in some instances. Like right now.  
I fell into the floor with my shadow, and emerged in front of a Tyrian Lannister look-alike, and a man who looked constipated.  
Ah. I’d forgotten Stryker was here. Looks like I can take them both out before they wreak any havoc.  
“Hello Mr. Trask, Mr. Stryker.” I greeted them warmly. “You hurt a good friend of mine, so I’m afraid I’ll have to kill you now. Also you’re both insane, so there’s that as well.”  
Stryker pulled a glass gun on me and opened fire.  
I pulled a shield into existence, and from their perspective it was as if the bullets crumpled against the air in front of me.  
Not seeing any reason to drag this out, I fired a purple bolt of energy into Stryker’s head. Killing him instantly.  
It was then I realized, I’d never actually killed a human before. I had killed those strange things I fought with the Ancient One, as well as a large number of animals to feed myself, but never a human.  
It was strange. I expected to feel disgusted with myself, but instead I only felt justified. He was Stryker. A man who would go on to do things that put even Riptide’s execution to shame. I felt almost good that he was dead.  
I’d need to watch myself in the future, lest I become as cold as Selene.  
This internal conflict took only a fraction of an instant, so when I turned to face Trask he had only just started running.  
I simply opened a portal in front of him, and he ran right through it. Directly in front of Selene.  
He skidded to a stop, and his momentum through him to the ground at her feet.  
She grinned down at him. “How nice to meet you Mr. Trask. Some friends of yours decided to make demands of me, so you’ll be my message to them. Sounds fun no?”  
Trask tried to stand and run, but Selene fell upon him.   
She conjured two blades of purple energy and skewered the smaller man, before lifting his gasping form aloft by the blades. She altered her blades’s shape to morph them into spears, and jammed them into the ground in a macabre triangle, releasing them to suspend Trask on their own.  
While I’m sure no one else caught it, I felt as she cast a hastening spell on him to ensure he bled out before help arrived. Seemed she was going to leave him like that.  
I finished my walk through the portal Trask fell through, and closed it behind me, taking in the scene around me.  
The security guards were more or less unharmed. The only ones with serious injuries were the commanders, and no civilians were even still inside the building.   
Like I said, Selene doesn’t tend to harm those she doesn’t feel deserve it. It didn’t make her a hero by any means, just look at what she was doing to Trask, but it did make it possible to work with the woman.  
Selene watched Trask struggle for a moment, then stormed over to one of the cameras she intentionally didn’t destroy. “Never make demands of me again!” She hissed into it, delivering her message to several members of Hellfire who thought they had more power and influence than they actually did.  
Selene spun on her heel, and opened a portal. The two of us strode through, and she closed it behind us. Leaving Trask to bleed out suspended by spears like he was killed by Vlad the Impaler’s evil cousin.  
Selene turned to me with a triumphant smile, her earlier infuriated facade having been abandoned. “That was fun!”  
I let out a long sigh, and she just laughed.  
“Shall we go and finish that tea we started a week ago?” She queried with a smirk.  
“Why not?” I asked, and the two of us portaled back to Britain to drink tea and make fun of passersby. Exactly what any normal person would do after publicly executing a man.

x

It had been a week, and the heat had mostly died down.  
Once again, the media had blamed mutants for the attacks on Trask Industries, as well as Trask’s death, but the people in Hellfire knew who was responsible, and suddenly the entire organization was much more accommodating to Selene’s whims.  
Sadly, the fact that mutants were blamed made public opinion turn against them. Luckily, Selene has played this game longer than any politician alive.  
I had wondered why she took those files from the facilities we hit, and why she saved the video of Riptide’s death, but I refrained from asking her because I was too focused on Trask and didn’t want to get into a shouting match.  
It turned out that she was playing the long game. She waited until all the politicians and journalists jumped on the ‘mutants are bad’ bandwagon, then used her Hellfire contacts to spread the secret ‘projects’ Trask Industries was working on. Including a certain weapon that had the capabilities to kill anyone in the world remotely.  
Needless to say, everyone flipped.   
The US came under pressure from just about every country with any power behind them, and they all demanded that the US destroy the Sentinels and all their plans. A condition the United States was proud to meet. Because heaven forbid such machines exist in our fair world!  
If Selene and I hadn’t already torched the plans, they wouldn’t have budged an inch, and then Russia, Germany, Britain, everyone would have tried to steal those plans. Since they were gone though, it was a mute point.  
Anyway, the main point was that the blame shifted entirely off the mutants and was heaped onto Trask’s corpse. A, ‘rogue madman who experimented with the natural order and got what he deserved’. That was right, the US threw Trask under the bus for the Sentinels, and while they were his idea, Selene had heaps of evidence showing where exactly Trask got his funding. She decided to keep those documents as blackmail material.  
Like I said, she’s been doing this for a very long time, and she’s gotten good at it.  
With the situation more or less resolved, I packed a satchel full of vials, and took a trip.  
It took me another week to find the Brotherhood. Erik had somehow acquired magical concealment enchantments that he placed around the perimeter of his camp, but they weren’t strong enough to stop someone like me or Selene from finding the place.  
I walked up to the forest camp, and was quickly surrounded by mutants.  
“You picked a bad time to get lost, friend.” A beefy guy with scales instead of skin said.  
I paid him no mind, I was too busy taking a nostalgia trip.  
Wow, I had completely forgotten about Skyrim. That was a great game. I wonder if it’ll be made here, because that would be awesome! I’d need to wait a few years for the modding community to take off, but then….  
“Hey! I’m talking to you!” The same man repeated while his four friends slowly closed in on me.  
I shook my head, and refocused. “Terribly sorry about that. My name is Rigel. Would you mind telling Magneto I’m here to see him?”  
The figures around me tensed, and the scaled guy snarled. “Who sent you?” He demanded. “How did they find us?!”   
“I sent myself, and I found you because I’m quite skilled. Now, could you please let Erik know Rigel is here to see him?” I asked politely.  
“We need to warn the boss man.” One of the smaller mutants to my back said.  
The scaled man, who I had determined was their leader, nodded. “Jax, let him know what’s happening. We’ll deal with this one.” One of the mutants took off faster than a normal human, and the scaled man started cracking his knuckles as he strode towards me menacingly. “Shoulda walked away pal.” He lunged at me.  
I sidestepped his wild punch easily, and he fell to the ground. “This is unnecessary.” I tried. “I’m an old friend here to hopefully help.”  
They didn’t listen. All three of them, plus scales, did their level best to drop me.  
One of them spat acid that I diverted away from myself, one shot fire from his hands, and one was chewing on himself for some reason.  
Mutant powers were strange.  
Before we could get too involved in our ‘fight’, a large iron rod embedded itself in the ground in front of scales.  
“Brian,” A calm voice began scoldingly. “what did I tell you about welcoming guests?”  
“But sir he….”  
“Is exactly what he said he was. An old friend. You are no longer needed, leave us.”  
I smiled warmly at scales, who growled at me, but stood and took his cronies away.  
I turned around and looked up at the descending form of Magneto.   
He was wearing a red cape and uniform, and he had altered his helmet so that too was red. He had also aged since I last saw him. His hair was starting to grey, and there were wrinkles on his forehead.   
It saddened me. This was my first taste of immortality. While I had remained the same, this decade had taken its toll on Erik, and while we hadn’t seen each other in a while, I still counted him as one of my few friends.  
“Rigel.” He greeted as he landed in front of me. “It’s good to see you again.”  
I smiled. “Likewise Erik.”  
“Please.” He motioned for me to follow him, and I fell into step at his side. “I had thought you wanted nothing to do with my Brotherhood. You haven’t attempted contact in years.”  
I sighed sadly. “You know what I’m preparing for Erik. I can’t drop that to help you, and besides, you’ve done well.” I looked around at the rather large camp of tents and mutants, and was truly impressed. They had working power, clean water, and a small farm set up.  
Many of the mutants looked at me curiously as I walked by with Erik, but I ignored them.  
“True, but that does not mean we couldn’t use your help.” Erik prodded.  
I shook my head. “I’m sorry Erik, but I really have been preoccupied. There’s simply too much I have to do, and not enough time to do it.”  
He stopped and looked at me. “Hmm, very well.” We kept walking, and Erik led me into a large tent. “So Rigel, why have you come searching for us after all these years?”  
“I was hoping I could help Angel.” I answered, and his eyes widened.  
“The assault on Trask….that was you and Selene?”  
I nodded.  
“Thank you for putting an end to that man. There are few who have wronged my kind as he did.”  
“You’re welcome. Now, is Angel here?”  
He nodded sadly, and led me out of the tent.  
More mutants had gathered to stare at me, but once again I ignored them. I didn’t know them, and I wasn’t here for them.  
Erik led me to a smaller tent on the edge of the camp, and opened the flap for me.  
I walked in, and took in the scene.   
A black haired woman in her mid thirties sat on the bed, and rubbed her hands together absentmindedly. She was focused on nothing, and didn’t react to my entry.  
“I’ve tried to help her.” Erik said with true pain in his voice. “But losing her flight has taken its toll. She also blames herself for Riptide.”  
I couldn’t help her with everything, but hopefully I could do enough.  
I walked towards Angel, and gently took her hands.  
She looked up at me, and her eyes widened slightly. “Rigel?”  
I nodded. “It’s me Angel. I’m here to help you, but you have to let me ok?”  
She snorted. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you visit?”  
I swallowed heavily. “I’m sorry I didn’t visit, but I couldn’t. I’m here now though, and I’m going to try to give your wing back.”  
She tensed instantly, her gaze hardening. “You can do that?” She whispered.  
I nodded. “Yes, but you need to trust me.”  
She looked me in the eyes for a long moment, then nodded. “I trust you.”  
I smiled. “Thank you. Take off your shirt and bra, then lie down on your stomach.”  
Erik walked up behind me to observe while Angel did as I instructed.  
“Keep your eyes closed Angel, this isn’t going to look pretty.” I wasn’t going to cut her open, but I was about to pull her lost wing out of a portal. The last thing she needed right now was to see it detached from her body.  
She squeezed her eyes shut, granting me no small amount of relief.  
I opened a purple portal, and grabbed Angel’s wing before pulling it through.  
I stood, and leaned over Angel’s body. Her other three wings were still hidden in her skin, but there was a nasty scar where her fourth had been taken.  
“This is going to sting, but try not to move. It’ll make my job harder.” I instructed.  
Angel nodded numbly, and Erik walked up next to me to grasp her hand.  
I pulled a red potion from the satchel at my side, and placed Angel’s wind against the scar. I then poured the potion over it, causing Angel to tense and hiss in pain.  
Erik’s grip on her hand tightened, and she took comfort from his presence.  
I worked as fast as I could. Burning the scar away, melting the wing back into place, then using a combination of the potion and my magic to reconnect it to her nervous system.  
After an agonizingly slow ten minutes, I stepped back. “Ok Angel. Try to move it.”  
Hesitantly, Angel sat up, and looked behind her. Her wing moved at her command, and wrapped around in front of her.  
I allowed myself to smile as I saw the shocked joy on her face.  
Careless of the fact she was still topless, Angel ran outside, bulldozing a group of mutants who had gathered around the tent’s entrance. She took one last step, then leapt into the air. Her wings carried her higher. Her joy filled laughter echoed through the camp.  
I smiled as she disappeared from view.  
“Thank you.” Erik said in a rare instance of emotion. “We will not forget this.”  
“You’re welcome. Make sure she comes down before too long, then force her to rest for a while, otherwise she might strain it too much.” I closed my satchel, and asked, “Is Raven here? I’d like to say hello.”  
Erik shook his head. “She left us a short while ago. I do not know when she will return, or even if she intends to.”  
That was a shame, it would have been nice to see her.  
“If you see her, tell her hello for me would you?”  
He nodded.  
I turned and left the tent.  
I moved through the group of shocked mutants staring after Angel, and made for the edge of camp.  
“Rigel, wait.”  
I turned around to face Erik.  
“I meant what I said. We, I, will not forget this. If you have need of us, you need only ask.”  
I nodded in thanks, then turned to leave, but stopped myself. I turned back around, and held out a small turquoise stone to him.  
Erik looked at me in confusion, but took the rock.  
“Throw that into the ground if you ever need my help. I won’t help you in your war against humanity for obvious reasons, but something personal like with Angel? I’ll be there.”  
He tucked the stone away into his pocket, and nodded. “Thank you Rigel. I won’t forget this.”  
I gave him a salute, opened a portal, and left the Brotherhood’s camp behind.


	11. 11

“I don’t understand.” Selene said, staring at the screen with a frown on her face. “Why would an empire create such a powerful and awe inspiring weapon only to leave a hole that goes straight to its core? Whoever designed this monstrosity should be shot.”  
I sighed. “Selene, I really don’t think you’re appreciating the movie. This is Star Wars.”  
She just raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s hardly impressive. The fight between the old man and that Vader character was laughable, and the story was resolved because the old man became a ghost. I don’t see what you find so endearing about this film.”  
I brought my hands to my head and began to rub my temples, doing everything I could to reconstruct the remnants of my childhood after Selene mercilessly smashed it into a million pieces.  
I was so excited when Selene and I happened across this by accident. We were walking through Dallas looking for something to do, and ducked into a video store. Lying there was none other than A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.  
I about had a heart attack.  
Apparently, they had been out for awhile, and Return had just come out, but hadn’t made it to VHS yet. Selene and I just missed them between our various projects and training excursions.   
I bought the movie, and sat Selene down for a movie night, but she’s done nothing but deconstruct everything about the film since we started watching it.   
The story didn’t impress her, the effects weren’t awe inspiring to her because she can use literal magic, and she didn’t have decades worth of nerding out over the franchise to enhance the experience.  
I sighed. “Fine. I’ll leave you alone.” I supposed I’d just watch Empire by myself then.  
She turned to me in confusion. “Isn’t there another one?”  
I just shrugged, and stood up to change them out. “Yeah, but I’m not going to force you to watch it if you hate it.”  
She watched in silence as I put it in, and didn’t move from her seat.  
“I’ll stay.” She said with finality.  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “What? You like it after all?”  
She just hummed to herself, and didn’t answer.  
I rolled my eyes, and sat down on the couch next to her.  
The movie played, and once more I had to reign in my inner Star Wars nerd. I mean, it was Star Wars! I had been addicted to this stuff when I was a kid, and now it was finally back! I was feeling on top of the world.  
The scene where Leia kissed Luke played, and Selene frowned. “That seems inconsistent with their relationship. She acts more like a scolding elder sister towards him than a lover.”  
I inhaled the popcorn I was chewing on, and had to magic it out of my lungs.  
“What?” Selene asked, surprised by my reaction.  
“Nothing!” I chirped, still laughing internally.  
She grumbled to herself, and scooted closer to me. A few moments later and she leaned into me, stealing my popcorn in the process.  
“I thought you didn’t like this stuff.” I commented.  
“It is bearable.” Was her curt reply.  
I just rolled my eyes, and refocused on the movie.  
The credits rolled, and I turned to Selene. “So?”  
She shrugged. “It was better than the first installment I suppose.”  
I just sighed again. “Uncultured swine.”   
Selene narrowed her eyes at me. “Excuse me?” The air began to crackle.  
I gave her a nonplussed look. After having been on the receiving end of her death stare hundreds of times, it’s lost its effect. “You don’t like Star Wars. Ergo, you’re an uncultured swine.”  
“Really?” She drawled. A flourish of her hand later, and the two of us were in the mirror dimension. That was all the warning I had before she attacked me.  
I shadow teleported away from her blade, and fired a bolt of lightning at her as I reappeared.  
She batted it aside, and summoned a second sword. The wind picked up, and she rode it across the gap to me.  
I conjured my own blades, and the two of us began to hack and slash at one another.  
Getting nowhere in the melee, I pulled back when I had the chance, and fractured the walls around us. I commanded all the displaced objects to fire directly towards Selene.  
She spread her arms wide, and the shards of glass, stone, and metal all flew through her. She grinned victorious at me as she became substantial once more.  
I grunted at her theatrics, and opened a portal in front of me.  
A short while ago, I was able to figure out how to create self sustaining portals. I couldn’t make a ridiculous amount, but I could manage two at once. Something that is very handy when one knows how to think with portals.  
Selene’s eyes shot wide, and she was forced to shadowport away as the anvil that has been traveling at terminal velocity for the past three days rocketed towards her face.  
She reconstituted with a snarl. “That could have killed me!”  
I snorted. “And cutting my head off wouldn’t have killed me? I thought the point of these ‘spars’ was to try to kill each other.” Besides, it’s not like that would have killed her. She has enchantments woven into her dress that would have protected her.  
She huffed, then turned to the destruction caused by my attack. “Why an anvil?” She asked in genuine confusion. “There are several things that would make that attack more efficient.”  
I grinned. “It’s thematically appropriate.” I was channeling my inner Looney Tunes, and it was hilarious. “Now shouldn’t we be trying to kill each other?”  
Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to me. “Very well then. I’ll try.”  
My grin disappeared in an instant.  
This was so not go….  
I doubled over in pain as Selene appeared from nowhere and kicked me in the groin. Her leg glowing violet with enhancement magic.  
Fighting through the pain, I shadowported away, leaving a fireball to explode in my wake.  
I reappeared outside the hideout.   
This particular place of residence was in Dallas, Texas, so when I reappeared I was standing in the middle of a modern street.  
I attempted to trap the area, but Selene followed me too quickly.  
She appeared in the air above me, and thrust her arms forward with a scream. A torrent of bright violet lightning pouring out from her with the motion.   
I controlled the air around me to force me away, and watched as the street exploded in my wake.  
I rolled in the air, and held my hand out to a nearby building. It deconstructed itself at my command, and I threw half of the pieces made towards Selene. The rest I brought into orbit around myself.  
Selene brought her hands forward and clapped. A shockwave was created that blew away all my projectiles, but I still had the ones orbiting around me.  
I launched those forward as well, but Selene just popped out of existence.  
I began to frantically sense the area around me, but found nothing. Deciding to air on the side of caution, I floated off the ground and called a shell of hardened air into being around myself.  
Cautiously, I began to move through the air. Looking for any sign of Selene.  
I found one such sign when a violet dagger embedded itself up to the hilt in my shell of air, barely stopping before imapling me.  
I whirled in the direction the dagger was thrown from, only for my shell to be struck from another angle altogether.  
I felt a faint pulse of magic, and rapidly condensed the air, causing an explosion.  
There was a scream from the area, and I rushed in to take advantage.  
I froze when I felt something warm press against the back of my neck.  
“You’re dead.” A cold voice said, and the violet dagger of energy disappeared.  
I let out a frustrated sigh, and spun around in midair. “So what’s that make? Eighty-seven to nothing?”  
Selene smirked. “Why keep track when the result will never change?”  
“Very funny. One of these days I’ll kick your ass.”  
She chuckled. “It’s important to reach for the impossible. That way one never grows stagnant.” She flew back to the safe house, and I followed behind her.   
Once we were both back, I brought us both out of the mirror dimension. “Did you get that out of your system?” Occasionally Selene just felt the need to destroy something. Since I could mostly take it, I became her ‘sparring’ partner a while ago. Maybe that's why she kept me around? She needed someone to work out her frustrations with the world on.  
She gripped her chin, and mimed being deep in thought. “I don’t know. Perhaps I should kick you again?”  
I narrowed my eyes at her. “That was a low blow.” If I wasn’t a mage, I would’ve probably thrown up from that hit. As it was, I was using several spells to numb the pain.  
She smirked. “That was the target, yes.”  
I sighed, and fell onto the couch. “Wonderful. Next time you need to blow something up, take it to Mt. Everest. I think I’ve earned a break.”  
She sat down onto the couch next to me. “I suppose I’ll keep it in mind, but I make no promises.”  
We lapsed into silence, and I let myself relax.  
We just sat there, and enjoyed not doing anything. It was rare that we both took a break at the same time, so times where we could both just relax were rare.  
After nearly half an hour of silence, Selene spoke.  
“Rigel? What are you hiding from me?”  
I tensed, but relaxed quickly. Not so quick as to keep her from noticing however. “What do you mean?” I hesitantly asked.  
She turned to me with a serious expression on her face. “When we first met you said you always did your best to tell the truth, and in the time we’ve been together you have yet to lie to me, but you also said you didn’t always tell the whole truth. I’ve noticed there are things you are keeping from me, and I wish to know what they are.”  
“Why now?” I asked, cautious. “It’s been years. Why do you care now?”  
She inhaled deeply, and met my gaze with a rare look of vulnerability. “Please….just tell me.”  
I held her gaze as I considered her request.  
She was definitely correct that I’ve been keeping things from her. I have yet to tell her about both my reincarnation, and where my future knowledge, but why does she care? She never has before.   
On another point, would I be willing to tell her? I’ve spent over a decade in her company, and feel I’ve grown to know her pretty well in that time.  
She wasn’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination, but she did possess a strange code. She protected herself and her friends, what few she had, viciously, and didn’t go out of her way to harm others. She was less concerned with collateral damage than was healthy, but that didn’t make her evil.  
More importantly, I’d grown to trust her. I had been isolated for a long time when I met her. The only friends I really have in this world were the Ancient One, Erik, Angel, maybe Raven, maybe Charles, and Selene. Being around someone has been good for me, and I’ve enjoyed myself more than I thought possible after my decade away from humanity.  
Selene is ancient compared to me, so a few decades is nothing to her. I suppose this could all be part of some long winded plot to gain my trust, then stab me in the back, but I don’t want to believe it is. If she really has been using and manipulating me this whole time, at the very least I know she’s serious about stopping Thanos. She was right when she said that he was everyone’s problem, so even if she kills me tomorrow and somehow leeches my power away, at least she’ll do all she can to kill him.  
“Okay.” I said, and she smiled softly.

Over the next two hours I told her everything. I told her of my rebirth, of Marvel comics, of what I’d done in this life, and of everything that was coming.  
When I finished, she sat in silence for a few minutes.  
“Who else knows?” She asked, her tone level, and not betraying her thoughts.  
“You and the Ancient One. No one else.” I responded.  
She turned to me and looked right into my eyes. “Why did you tell me?”  
I shrugged. “Because you asked me to. I don’t have many people I trust. It’s possible you’ve been manipulating me this entire time, but I don’t want to believe that.”  
“I have been manipulating you.” She said matter of factly, and my stomach dropped. “I’ve been manipulating you since the moment we met.”  
I didn’t react, and when I spoke, I forced myself to keep my voice level. “For what purpose?”  
She stood from the couch, and walked around to kneel in front of me. “You have yet to lie to me, and I have never lied to you. I was completely upfront with my intentions just as you were, though neither of us revealed everything.”  
“So what? You’ve been manipulating me to be your apprentice this entire time? That seems like a waste of time. You could have given up after you succeeded.”  
She shook her head. “No. I told you, there was one thing I have been searching for for millenia. One thing I desired above all else. An equal. I have been molding you to become that equal.”  
“You’ve made progress, but you’re obviously not there yet. You can still beat me ten out of ten times in a fight.”  
She shook her head, and let out a huff. “No. You don’t understand. I….” She trailed off, and her expression shifted. Changing from frustrated to yearning. Without warning, she leaned forward and pressed her lips into mine.  
My body locked up in shock. I hadn’t expected this, and was caught completely flat footed.  
Selene pulled away, and looked into my eyes. “I have searched for thousands of years for an equal. For a partner. Someone to share my immortality with. Someone to share everything with. I had given up searching, and then my agents in Hellfire told me a young man was looking for me. A young man who seemingly didn’t age. A young man who stood in front of Sebastian Shaw knowing who it was he faced, and taunted him. I had to see you for myself, and when I did, you were like me.” She held her hand up, and it came alight with violet flames. “I tested you over the years, and ensured I could at least tolerate you, but I found I enjoyed our time together. I came to care for you. You are what I have been searching for all this time.” She trailed off, and brought a hand up to caress my cheek. “I would move the world for you, if you would only do the same for me.”  
I took a deep breath, and said. “You’re asking a lot of me. You’re asking me to commit to you forever. I can’t know what kind of person I’ll be in fifty years, a hundred, a thousand. I can’t even know if we’ll beat Thanos and live that long. You’re asking me to be yours. Your own personal immortal plaything.”  
She growled in frustration. “No! You still don’t understand! I am offering myself. I will give myself to you if you will only do the same for me.”  
That was….still too sudden, and way too much to think about right now.  
“Again. You’re asking me to make a decision that will affect me forever after springing it on me. What am I supposed to say here?”  
Her intense gaze lightened, and she sighed. “You need not decide now, but I expect an answer soon.”  
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Again. Decision which will affect me forever, in ‘soon’. I’ll give my answer when I’m ready.”  
She stood. “I suppose that is all I can ask for.” She teleported away without another word.  
The moment she left, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.  
That was….I have no fucking idea.  
Where did it even come from?! Selene has never struck me as the kind of person to put so much stock in something so….fantastical. I mean, immortal lovers exploring eternity together? It’s something straight out of a cheesy romance novel.  
Before I could think on this further, I heard a loud pinging in my mind.  
Erik….  
I opened a portal and strode through it.


	12. 12

I took in the scene before me as the portal closed at my back.  
Erik and a woman I didn’t recognize stood off to my right, and a group of soldiers armed with wooden bows and arrows stood to my left. The officer leading the soldiers was holding a young girl by the shoulder.  
This was Erik’s family. That meant a lot, but I could figure everything out once we were all safe.  
I cast a quick translation spell and said, “Erik, how do you want me to play this?”  
“Save my daughter.” He practically begged.  
I nodded to him, and turned to the soldiers. “Please let the girl go. There’s no reason this needs to end in a fight.”  
The officer’s grip tightened a slight amount on the girl's shoulder. “This doesn’t concern you. Leave.”  
I shook my head. “Erik’s a good friend, so it does concern me. Please let the girl go.”  
One of the men got trigger happy and fired an arrow at me. I was moving before the arrow had detached from the string.  
My first priority was to protect Erik and his family, so I began casting a lengthy spell.   
The arrow connected with my shoulder, but the enchantments on my robes protected me enough to allow me to get my spell off.  
Suddenly, Erik, his wife, and his daughter all vanished.  
“The man you came for is gone. Please go home.” I didn’t want to kill them if I didn’t have to, so I was hoping they would leave peacefully.  
The officer tried to rein in his men, but they all fired arrows at me.  
I held up a hand, and the arrows skittered to a halt in front of me. I lowered my hand, and the arrows fell to the ground.  
The men started to panic, and they shot even more arrows at me.  
I attributed their stupidity to their growing anxiety. Why else would they try the same laughably ineffective tactic three times?  
These arrows I dodged. “This is your last chance. Leave.” I let my outer magic flare on the final word, and a violet cloak of energy sprung up around me.  
The men let out shocked yells, and they all began to run. I kept my eyes on them until they were long gone.  
Exhaling as the adrenaline faded, I recast my spell from earlier.  
Erik and his family reappeared from the mirror dimension in a large group hug.  
I gave them some space to have their moment, and kept an eye out for any more soldiers. The last thing I needed was to be caught unawares by reinforcements. Only when the family pulled away from each other did I approach.  
“We need to go.” I said. “I have a place you can lie low.”  
Erik nodded in thanks, then leaned down to his daughter. He whispered something in her ear and picked her up. “Thank you.” He said to me with more emotion than I’ve ever heard from the man.  
“You’re welcome.” I said as I opened a portal. I walked through, and motioned for the others to follow me.  
Erik mumbled reassuringly to his wife, and they soon stepped through.  
I closed the portal behind them, and motioned around. “We’re in Kentucky. This is one of my safe houses. We can stay here as long as we need to. Do you know what you want to do?”  
Erik’s wife and daughter seemed to be trying to recover from whiplash, but Erik himself took everything in stride. He was used to the weirdness of magic and mutants.  
“Do you have a way to contact Charles?” He asked.  
My smile faded slightly. “I….Charles made it clear after the mission that he never wanted to see me again. I haven’t spoken to him since Shaw. I can transport you to the mansion if you would prefer?”  
Erik looked torn after my admission, and he looked between me and his family.  
“Erik.” I pulled his attention back. “This is family. Charles will understand if I use a portal, and I’m sure he’ll help you.”  
Erik thought for a moment, then nodded. “Could you transport us to him please?”  
I nodded, and waved my hand. Another portal opened to my right. “This will drop you on the front lawn. Tell Charles….just say hello for me would you?”  
Erik nodded, and ushered his family over to the portal. He stared me in the eye and said, “That’s two I owe you. You saved my daughter. I’ll never forget that.”  
I shook my head. “You don’t owe me a thing Erik. This was family. Now go on.”  
With one last grateful smile, the three of them walked through the portal.   
I closed it behind them, and gripped my chin in thought.  
This happened in X-Men Apocalypse. Which means said immortal monstrosity is awake now. Why was I sitting on my ass? I could have gotten to Storm before he did.  
I sighed, and opened another portal.  
It was too late for what if’s and maybe’s. I needed to act.  
I walked through the portal, and picked up the necklace on the other end.   
“Selene.” I spoke into the necklace. “En Sabah Nur is awake, we need to act fast.”  
Instead of a response through the necklace, another portal opened next to me. Selene strode through it completely focused. “Where are we going?”  
I shook my head. “I’ve changed too much. I don’t know where he’ll be. Do you know of any way to find him?”  
She grimaced slightly. “I do, but I don’t have access to it.”  
“Who does?”  
“The Ancient One.”  
I sighed heavily. “Is there an alternative?”  
Selene shook her head.  
I sighed, and cast several extremely complex illusions over myself to make me look like Dante from Devil May Cry. “Then I guess I get to visit an old friend.” I said in Dante’s voice.  
Selene nodded. “I’ll wait here. I’m not exactly….welcome there.”  
“Get everything ready for a fight. He can teleport, so the second we know where he is we have to move.”  
She nodded.  
“I’ll be back soon.” I opened a portal a few blocks away from the New York sanctum and walked through it.  
I quickly made my way through the busy sidewalk up to the sanctum and knocked on the door. A few moments later, a white-skinned man in Kamar-Taj robes opened the door.   
“Can I help you?” He asked with a smile.  
“Yes.” I replied. “I am here to see the Ancient One. I’m a fellow practitioner of magic, and I believe there is a threat that requires her attention. Would you please let her know that Rigel is here to see her?”  
The man’s smile morphed into an expression of distrust. “Wait here.” He said curtly, and closed the door in my face.  
I stood alone on the strip awkwardly while I waited, watching the city go about its day to day life.  
After half an hour, the door to the sanctum opened once more, only this time it was the Ancient One who opened it.  
“Rigel was it?” She asked with a tilted head. “I was told you desired to speak with me?”  
Catching on, I said. “Yes Ancient One, thank you for meeting with me. It’s truly an honor to meet you. May I come in? This shouldn’t be discussed in the street.”  
She gave me a once over, as if she was sizing me up, then stepped aside to let me in.  
I walked past, and noticed the four other robed figures in the entryway.  
“Let’s keep this short.” The Ancient One said. “What is it you are here to warn me about?”  
“En Sabah Nur is awake, and on the move.” I answered without preamble.  
The Ancient One’s eyes went wide, but none of the other sorcerers reacted in any noticeable way.   
“What is it you wish for me to do about this? Kamar-Taj only defends Earth from extra-dimensional threats.”  
I nodded. “I am aware Ancient One, but you are able to locate him. I was hoping you could find him, and inform me of his whereabouts so I may confront him myself.”  
She tilted her chin up. “En Sabah Nur is not an opponent to be taken lightly. I may very well be sending you to your death. Why should I do so?”  
“Because he’s going to try to change things in his favor. You should know better than I that everytime he wakes up he tries to either destroy or take over the world. He’s gathering his horsemen now, but he won’t be for long. Tell me where he is, and I’ll take care of it.”  
“How?” She asked with a tilted head. “I have stated he is exceptionally powerful. How do you intend to defeat him?”  
I shrugged. “I’d rather keep that to myself. You sorcerers have your secrets, and I have mine, but either way, you win. Either I beat him, and the problem is solved, or I weaken him a little bit and you come in to finish him off.” It was not that I didn’t trust her enough to let her know about Selene, it was the fact that the two of us aren’t quite alone that I’m playing things close to the chest.  
The Ancient One studied me, then turned and exited the room without a word.  
None of the other sorcerers moved or spoke, so I settled in to wait. Things devolved into an awkward silence, and I couldn’t help but grin when I saw one of the younger looking mages nervously fidgeting under my scrutiny.  
A tense few minutes passed, and the Ancient One returned.  
“He is currently in Paris. You should be able to sense him once you arrive in the city.”  
I bowed and said, “Thank you Ancient One. I apologize for the abrupt departure, but I have to leave before he moves on.”  
She made a dismissive motion with her hand and nodded. “Yes I understand. I wish you luck Rigel. Please do what you can to eliminate collateral damage.”  
I nodded, then strode out the door without another word.  
I needed to grab Selene, then the two of us needed to get to Paris now. Apocalypse’s teleportation was just as world spanning as ours, so if we missed him he could appear literally anywhere.  
I ducked into an alley to avoid attention and opened another portal. I stepped through, and found Selene waiting with a bag on the other side. The portal closed behind me, and I dispelled my Dante illusion.  
“There was no time to prepare any new potions or enchantments, so we’ll have to make do with what we had prepared prior.” She reached into the bag and withdrew three red colored potions from it. She held them out to me, and I placed them in my own satchel. “Where are we going?” She asked.  
“Paris.” I answered, and opened a portal to the named destination.  
We both hurried through, and I began to feel around with my senses.  
The Ancient One was right. The moment I opened up my mystical senses to detect powerful beings, I felt a beacon in the north.   
Selene’s gaze followed my own. She sensed it too. “Prepare yourself.” She said seriously. “You have never been in a battle of the proportions you are about to face before. If he has already gathered his followers, they will be your responsibility. Only aid me when they are neutralized.”  
A part of me wanted to argue that I shouldn’t be wasted on his lackeys, but the more logical side of me stomped out my pride. We were about to fight an immortal mutant who was worshipped as a god in ancient times. Selene’s sparring matches had helped me to improve, but I didn’t have the sheer experience she and Apocalypse had. Besides, she wasn’t side-lining me. My job was to get rid of his backup, then backup Selene. The faster I did my job, the sooner I could join in the big fight.  
“Got it.” I replied.  
Selene gave me a nod, then used her magic to rocket into the sky. Making a beeline for the beacon of power we both sensed.  
I supposed that meant we were throwing subtlety out the window. The entire street just saw her fly by, so there was no reason for me to stay hidden.  
I inhaled deeply, and allowed my outer energy to flare up with my exhale. My body became marked by the violet lines that I had grown accustomed with.  
It wasn’t required that I use this ‘form’ to access outer magic, but it gave me a significant boost, and I would need one right now.  
I lifted off the ground using a combination of wind and force magic, and shot after Selene. I ignored the startled gasps that accompanied my passing.  
Selene slowed down so I could catch up, and the two of us closed in on Apocalypse together. We came close enough to see our destination, and looked down upon an old warehouse.  
“I will try to force him to an isolated location. Preferably the Sahara, but if that fails be prepared to fight around civilians.”  
I turned to Selene in confusion. “Wouldn’t he be stronger with all that sand around?”  
She shook her head. “He can destroy and reconstruct the cement as easily as the sand. It would be better to fight him without civilians around. They’ll only get in the way.”  
I nodded. “You’re the expert.”  
“On my command.” She brought her arms up, and I felt her gather her magic.  
I copied her motion, and began channeling as well.  
A tense few seconds passed as we both prepared until Selene finally gave the order.  
“Now!” She screamed, and we both threw our hands forward. A veritable torrent of violet bolts firing forth at our command.  
The warehouse became a crater in moments. The walls, ceiling, and supports weren’t in good condition before our assault, so they gave like wet tissue paper. The only undamaged area of the warehouse was a small blue dome positioned close to the middle. Four figures stood within.  
There was a teenage girl with white hair and dark skin, a muscular young man with blonde hair and two silver wings, and a young woman holding a violet sword not dissimilar to the ones Selene and I summon with our magic.   
The final form was large, bulky. He wore a strangely patterned armoured robe, and his skin was a pale blue. He lowered his hand when Selene and my assault petered out, and the dome shaped barrier fell with the motion. He lazily turned to look at us, and froze when he saw my companion. “Selene.” He growled. “You still live.”  
As expected of my mentor, she wasted no time talking. She teleported into his shadow and jammed two violet blades into his sternum. She teleported away before anyone could retaliate.  
Apocalypse snarled and ripped the blades out of his body. His wounds began to close before my eyes.  
“Deal with the other.” He said dismissively, and he teleported.  
The remaining three turned to me, and charged.  
Angel grabbed Psylocke, and began hauling her up to me. Storm, meanwhile, lifted herself off the ground, and black clouds began to gather in the sky.  
At least they didn’t have Magneto with them. Without him I had a fairly good shot at taking them all out quickly.  
I noticed that Angel was having a hard time carrying Psylocke, so I ignored the two of them, and shot higher into the air. It would give Storm an advantage over me because she’d have better access to the weather, but that would make her overconfident. She was inexperienced, and would likely abandon her backup. Letting me fight them one by one.  
Sure enough, Storm cried out a challenge and flew higher after me.  
I waited until Angel was a speck before turning to confront the girl. “Is this really what you want? To destroy the world?” I asked. The volume of my voice was unaffected by the brewing thunder.  
Storm hesitated for a moment at my words, but a look of grim determination soon overtook her.  
I tried.  
She screamed, and the sky came alive.  
Black clouds glowed electric blue, and I was assaulted from every direction at once as fierce winds, sharp hail, and deadly lightning blasted through the sky.  
I summoned runes to absorb the lightning, using my senses to predict when it would strike as I was too slow to block it otherwise. The wind I corrupted into my flight spell, and the hail shattered harmlessly against my enchanted robes.  
Storm’s eyes shot wide when she realized how ineffective her attacks were, but it was too late.  
I shadowported behind her and summoned a rune. I placed it into her back and channeled a minor amount of the power I stole from her lightning back into her.  
She seized and screamed, then began to fall.  
I caught her before she could fall too far, and opened a portal. I deposited her unconscious form onto healthy green grass, and closed the portal.  
Storm had blame to shoulder here, but it was mostly forgivable given she was an extremely pliable child who was manipulated by an immortal tyrant. She needed help, and a place to grow. I couldn’t give her that, so I sent her to someone who could.  
Without its Mistress’s presence, the storm slowly began to fade away. The rumbling subsided, and the sky started to clear, but I didn’t focus on it. I had other obligations at present.  
Angel and Psylocke had given up on chasing me, and were standing on a roof trying to get a bead on me.  
I shadowported behind them and said, “This is your one chance to surrender peacefully.”  
The two spun around, and I was instantly under attack.  
Angel shot an array of feather shaped daggers towards me, and Psylocke charged with her energy blade. I teleported to the street below with a sigh.  
I didn’t want to hurt them, they were barely more than kids after all, but if that was how they wanted to play it….  
Angel roared and flew down after me, shooting more daggers as he went.  
Psylocke, meanwhile, dug her energy blade into the wall of the building to slow her fall down to me.  
I easily deflected all of Angel’s projectiles, and waited for him to get into melee with me.  
He twisted his body around at the last second, and launched towards me feet first.  
I stepped to the side to get around the strike, and punched him in the stomach as he passed by.  
He collapsed to the ground with a metallic clang as his wings made contact with the concrete, and he groaned as he forced himself to his feet.  
A high pitched scream drew my attention, and I spared a quick glance at a woman who was sheltering her kids from the insane battle happening around her.  
Angel let out an irritated groan, and flicked his wing in their direction.  
My eyes shot wide, and I shadowported in front of the family. The knives Angel shot embedded themselves into my hastily erected runes rather than the civilians.  
Angel snorted as he saw what I’d done. As if he was amused by the fact I’d spent the effort.  
At that moment, I made a decision.  
Storm had been manipulated, and ultimately hesitated before our confrontation. Angel had just tried to kill small children.  
No mercy.  
I shadowported behind him and shoved a violet blade into his throat.  
His eyes flew wide in surprise, pain, and fear, and he began to futilely grasp at the wound as I pulled away. He fell in a gasping, gurgling heap, and soon ceased moving.  
“Stop!”  
I turned to Psylocke, and saw her blade against the throat of another child.  
He was a small boy, wearing a red t-shirt and a pair of hole covered jeans, and there were tears in his eyes.  
I made my decision about Psylocke as well.  
A flick of my fingers, and a purple rune came to life around Psylocke’s wrists.  
She gasped and tried to move, but the runes wouldn’t so much as let her rotate her joint.  
I ran up to her and, after pulling the boy away from her, placed the rune I used against Storm against her head. As opposed to when I knocked out Storm, I let half of the rune’s energy drain away with the attack.  
Psylocke’s head exploded.  
I turned to the boy next to me, and shadowported him back to the first woman. I didn’t know if he was hers, but I couldn’t be distracted right now. “Take care of him.” I said to the woman, then teleported to the roof of a nearby building before she could get a word in.  
I began to feel around with my senses, but found nothing.  
Apocalypse wasn’t here, and neither was Selene.  
Only having one destination to go off of, I opened a portal to the Sahara desert and walked through. I had stepped into a warzone.  
The desert’s sky was dark with storm clouds in the middle of its dry season, and there were large craters in the sand all around me.  
A loud roar drew my attention, and I turned in time to see Apocalypse, now without his robe, holding his hand to the sky. An ocean of sand roared to meet his call, and a sizable portion of the desert rose up to try and swallow the flying form of Selene as she raced back and forth across the sky. Hurling bolts of purple energy downward whenever she had a free moment.  
I decided I need to bring out the big guns early on, so I hastily crafted a rune in my hand, and slammed it into my chest. Its violet glow intensified tenfold as it came into contact with the mystical lines running up and down my body.   
Preparations made, I used a technique I had only used in combat once before.  
I clapped my hands together, then threw my arms wide. Over fifty copies of myself flew out of me, and all but I made a mad break for Apocalypse.  
With Selene doing a sufficient job of distracting him, he noticed my horde too late to mount a good defense. My clones got within five meters of him, then activated the rune carved into their chest.  
A powerful explosion accompanied each clone’s motion, and Apocalypse was sent hurling between explosions like a pinball.  
While the sight was comical to behold, I had been hoping it would kill him. All it seemed to do was severely piss him off.  
He snarled, and glared at me. His hand came up in my direction, and the sands rose up to swallow me.  
I shadow ported immediately, and reconstituted in Selene’s shade.  
“Suggestions?!” I demanded as I recast my flight spell to hover next to her.  
“I need time.” She responded. “Stall him.” She teleported away.  
Stall him? Stall Apocalypse?! I was dead.  
Rather than comprehend exactly how impossible the task set before me was, I decided to just throw caution to the wind and go for it. Spending time trying to come with a plan would only get me killed.  
I turned back to face the blue man and saw him riding a mound of sand into the air toward me.  
Great. He watched Naruto and took notes from Gaara.  
Trying to force him back to the ground, I opened a portal above him and an anvil travelling at terminal velocity rocketed toward him.   
Somehow despite the anvil’s speed Apocalypse was able to create a barrier before it hit him, and the anvil melted to slag before it came into contact with him.  
How on Earth did he block that? It was moving at terminal velocity. What am I missing here?  
Apocalypse turned to me, and he growled at me. He didn’t like my attempt to turn him into paste.  
I flew higher to get away from the enraged mutant, and started hurling supercharged bolts of energy at him.   
Some he deflected or blocked with his strange blue energy barriers, others he just let hit him. His regeneration taking care of the injury in mere moments.  
He held his hands out, and the sand he stood on rose up his form and encased him in a rough tan colored armour.  
Out of nowhere his flight speed doubled and he began to close the gap.  
I started taking evasive maneuvers, and kept up my hail of spells.  
Again, they were far from effective.  
When he had nearly closed the distance to me, I started to hear a voice in my head.  
Why do you fight me child? You are not disgusting like the lesser sheep. You could be great, and I am in need of great servants.  
Instead of responding to the maniac, I slammed down hard with my mental barriers, and forced him out of my head. Nothing good would come from talking to him. He was likely just trying to distract me from the fight.  
He growled in irritation as he was shunted from my thoughts, and he made a fist in my direction.  
The air around me began to rapidly condense, and I was forced to teleport through my own shadow to avoid the ensuing explosions.  
Apocalypse roared, and the sky roared with him. The clouds lit up for him just as they did for Storm.  
Soon, I found myself dodging and blocking incoming lightning bolts on the ground.  
Apocalypse had taken the elevated position when I teleported to avoid being blown up, and he was using it to his advantage.  
Every time I tried to rise back into the sky he would force me back down with lightning, and any time I held still for too long he would move the sand to swallow me.  
I was trapped in a kill box, and I didn’t see a good way to get out of it.  
The mirror dimension and portals were too slow to avoid the sand, and shadowporting didn’t have the range I needed to successfully flee.  
I was starting to tire from dodging when I felt a pulse of magic right next to Apocalypse.  
I deflected another lightning bolt, and looked up.  
Selene had teleported right behind him, only she was different now. Her pale skin was covered in glowing violet lines. Lines just like the ones painting my body.  
She let loose a scream and grabbed onto Apocalypse’s head. The lines on her body lit up like the sun as she channeled all of her magic through them into Apocalypse.  
The sky lit up a bright blue behind them as Apocalypse tried to fight her off, but he was quickly overpowered, and the clouds in the sky began to unravel and retreat, giving way to daylight once more.  
Both of them began to scream over the high pitched whine of the magic, and soon they were falling out of the sky. Selene kept her iron grip on Apocalypse, and continued to force magic into him even as they descended.  
Apocalypse’s sand armor disintegrated under the assault, and soon he was left naked. His regeneration struggling to keep up with the sheer power Selene was forcing into him.  
With one last primal scream, Selene unleashed the last of her magic into the air around her, and the two falling bodies were swallowed by an expanding violet orb of energy.  
She copied my trump card. She copied my trump card.  
I needed to catch her before she died on impact. There’s no way she’ll be able to land properly after that.  
I flew until I was close enough to teleport into her shadow, then grabbed her. I slowly decreased the speed of our fall so as not to bring her to a jarring stop, then teleported to the ground.  
Apocalypse created a crater when he hit that sent sand a hundred feet into the air, but I wasn’t concerned with him at the moment.  
I laid Selene down on the sand, and hurriedly checked her over.  
She was heavily marred, and burned all over, but alive.  
I pulled out all three of the healing potions she gave me, and began to apply them. One I forced down her throat, and the other two I applied to her various wounds. It wouldn’t be enough to get her on her feet anytime soon, but it would be enough to keep her stable until I finished this.  
I opened a portal to one of our safehouses, and laid her down on a bed, then returned to the desert. I needed to check on Apocalypse.  
When I flew into the crater left by his landing, I found him in worse shape than Selene was in. One of his arms was literally hanging on by a thread, it was only still connected by a strand of….muscle? I couldn’t tell because his entire body was scorched black. Selene really did a number on him.  
A groan escaped his mouth, and I immediately started laying into him.  
How was he still alive after that?   
I summoned back my own outer energy form and unleashed every piece of magic at my disposal into him. I blasted him with bolts, ripped him apart with bands, stabbed him with spikes and swords, crushed him with extreme gravity, and did everything in my power to kill him.  
In the end, he stopped moving and making sound, but his regeneration was still slowly applying itself.  
How am I supposed to kill this guy? I think the Phoenix did him in the X-Men movies, but I’m not the Phoenix, and I lack a way to sufficiently atomize him.  
“....V….Vial…”  
I spun around in shock as a heavily wounded and gasping Selene fell through a rapidly closing portal.  
I ran over to her and caught her before she hit the ground. “How are you awake?” I asked as I gently lowered her down.  
She weakly shook her head at me. “Via….Vial…” She shakily held up a small glass tube filled with a black fluid. “Melt….Him….” her eyes rolled back and she passed out once more.  
I grabbed the vial out of her falling hand, and turned back to Apocalypse. His body was very slowly pulling itself back together, and he was starting to gasp once more.  
Trusting Selene, I uncorked the vial and used my telekinesis to lift the small amount of fluid out of it. I sent the liquid towards Apocalypse, and was rewarded with a hoarse scream the moment it touched his skin. He tried to flinch away, but he was too wounded to properly flee.   
I didn’t give him any reprieve. I slowly moved the black fluid over his entire body, everywhere it touched he was simply erased. The liquid would wrap around his finger, and he wouldn’t have a finger afterwards. The liquid itself never lost any of its mass, so I never stopped moving it around.  
It took upwards of five minutes worth of Apocalypse dying a very slow death, but in the end there was no trace of him left.  
I pulled the liquid back into what I now knew was a heavily enchanted vial, and recorked it, holding it up to my eye level.  
What the hell was this stuff? More importantly, where did Selene get it?  
I heard a rhythmic beating getting steadily closer, and turned to the East. There was a formation of four helicopters moving in our direction, all of which looked too advanced for current technology.  
The liquid could wait. I needed to get Selene out of here.  
I pocketed the vial, and gently picked Selene’s limp form up. I carried her through another portal, and closed it behind me just as the helicopters were moving in on our position.  
I laid Selene down in the same bed she had somehow willpowered herself out of, and began going through all the materials we had on hand here. I brewed some more potions, and set about making sure Selene didn’t die. She wasn’t in terrible condition, but that could change at any moment, and I was going to be prepared for it if it did.  
That was how I spent the next four hours. Brewing potions, applying potions, checking over Selene, and just making sure she stayed stable. In the end, when I had done all I could, I grabbed a chair, and sat down next to her.  
I was honestly amazed she was still alive. The spell she copied off me was designed to be a last ditch suicide bomb, and she was able to stand up after it.  
Why? Why did she do that? No, wrong question. Why did she help me to begin with? Apocalypse wasn’t her problem, he was mine. I wouldn’t have had a chance on my own, but she very easily could have told me to screw off, and I would've. I probably still would have tried to kill him, but….  
I slowly panned to look at Selene’s battered face.  
Was it really that simple? Was this not some key part of an extensive plan? Did she not have an angle other than helping me?  
I sighed, and dropped my head into my hands.  
Debating this forever would get me nowhere. I’ll just ask her when she wakes up.  
I stayed with her through the night to make sure nothing happened to her. I don’t remember falling asleep.

(Ororo Munroe)

My head hurts. My back too. What happened?  
I blinked my eyes open, and looked around.  
I was in a….hospital? This was the nicest hospital I’d ever seen. There were lots of fancy looking pieces of equipment whose purpose I didn’t understand, and a IV drip hooked up to my arm. That much I recognized.  
What happened? I was fighting the purple man, then I fell. Was I captured? What are they going to do to me?  
A cold dread settled inside my stomach.  
Were they going to cut me open? To try to figure out how I moved the clouds?  
The wooden door to the room opened, and I gasped, panicking. I relaxed slightly when a black haired man in a wheelchair. At least I would be able to run.  
The man smiled. “Hello young lady. My name is Charles Xavier. Let me first assure you that you are safe, and that nothing will happen to you here. On that you have my word. My friend wouldn’t have sent you here if he thought you were a bad person.”  
I hesitantly allowed myself to relax more. “What friend?”  
The man in the wheelchair smiled, and rolled over to a TV on the wall. He pushed a few buttons, and a video began playing. I gasped as I watched it.  
It was a film of my fight with the purple man, and….no! I wouldn’t….we were supposed to make everything better….why would Angel…..I needed to get out of here!  
The man in the wheelchair, somehow sensing my intentions, held his hands up and said, “Please wait!”  
I ignored him, pulled the IV out of my arm, and….  
Ororo! I’m not going to hurt you!  
What was that? It sounded like the man in the wheelchair….  
The man smiled.  
Because it was.  
I gasped.  
You’re not alone, Ororo. I’ll do everything I can to help you.  
“You….you’re like me?”  
He nodded. “We all are.”  
“We?”  
He smiled, and motioned for me to follow him. “Come with me.”  
After hesitating for a moment, I stood up and followed him.  
I wasn’t alone.


	13. 13

I took in the scene before me as the portal closed at my back.  
Erik and a woman I didn’t recognize stood off to my right, and a group of soldiers armed with wooden bows and arrows stood to my left. The officer leading the soldiers was holding a young girl by the shoulder.  
This was Erik’s family. That meant a lot, but I could figure everything out once we were all safe.  
I cast a quick translation spell and said, “Erik, how do you want me to play this?”  
“Save my daughter.” He practically begged.  
I nodded to him, and turned to the soldiers. “Please let the girl go. There’s no reason this needs to end in a fight.”  
The officer’s grip tightened a slight amount on the girl's shoulder. “This doesn’t concern you. Leave.”  
I shook my head. “Erik’s a good friend, so it does concern me. Please let the girl go.”  
One of the men got trigger happy and fired an arrow at me. I was moving before the arrow had detached from the string.  
My first priority was to protect Erik and his family, so I began casting a lengthy spell.  
The arrow connected with my shoulder, but the enchantments on my robes protected me enough to allow me to get my spell off.  
Suddenly, Erik, his wife, and his daughter all vanished.  
“The man you came for is gone. Please go home.” I didn’t want to kill them if I didn’t have to, so I was hoping they would leave peacefully.  
The officer tried to rein in his men, but they all fired arrows at me.  
I held up a hand, and the arrows skittered to a halt in front of me. I lowered my hand, and the arrows fell to the ground.  
The men started to panic, and they shot even more arrows at me.  
I attributed their stupidity to their growing anxiety. Why else would they try the same laughably ineffective tactic three times?  
These arrows I dodged. “This is your last chance. Leave.” I let my outer magic flare on the final word, and a violet cloak of energy sprung up around me.  
The men let out shocked yells, and they all began to run. I kept my eyes on them until they were long gone.  
Exhaling as the adrenaline faded, I recast my spell from earlier.  
Erik and his family reappeared from the mirror dimension in a large group hug.  
I gave them some space to have their moment, and kept an eye out for any more soldiers. The last thing I needed was to be caught unawares by reinforcements. Only when the family pulled away from each other did I approach.  
“We need to go.” I said. “I have a place you can lie low.”  
Erik nodded in thanks, then leaned down to his daughter. He whispered something in her ear and picked her up. “Thank you.” He said to me with more emotion than I’ve ever heard from the man.  
“You’re welcome.” I said as I opened a portal. I walked through, and motioned for the others to follow me.  
Erik mumbled reassuringly to his wife, and they soon stepped through.  
I closed the portal behind them, and motioned around. “We’re in Kentucky. This is one of my safe houses. We can stay here as long as we need to. Do you know what you want to do?”  
Erik’s wife and daughter seemed to be trying to recover from whiplash, but Erik himself took everything in stride. He was used to the weirdness of magic and mutants.  
“Do you have a way to contact Charles?” He asked.  
My smile faded slightly. “I….Charles made it clear after the mission that he never wanted to see me again. I haven’t spoken to him since Shaw. I can transport you to the mansion if you would prefer?”  
Erik looked torn after my admission, and he looked between me and his family.  
“Erik.” I pulled his attention back. “This is family. Charles will understand if I use a portal, and I’m sure he’ll help you.”  
Erik thought for a moment, then nodded. “Could you transport us to him please?”  
I nodded, and waved my hand. Another portal opened to my right. “This will drop you on the front lawn. Tell Charles….just say hello for me would you?”  
Erik nodded, and ushered his family over to the portal. He stared me in the eye and said, “That’s two I owe you. You saved my daughter. I’ll never forget that.”  
I shook my head. “You don’t owe me a thing Erik. This was family. Now go on.”  
With one last grateful smile, the three of them walked through the portal.  
I closed it behind them, and gripped my chin in thought.  
This happened in X-Men Apocalypse. Which means said immortal monstrosity is awake now. Why was I sitting on my ass? I could have gotten to Storm before he did.  
I sighed, and opened another portal.  
It was too late for what if’s and maybe’s. I needed to act.  
I walked through the portal, and picked up the necklace on the other end.  
“Selene.” I spoke into the necklace. “En Sabah Nur is awake, we need to act fast.”  
Instead of a response through the necklace, another portal opened next to me. Selene strode through it completely focused. “Where are we going?”  
I shook my head. “I’ve changed too much. I don’t know where he’ll be. Do you know of any way to find him?”  
She grimaced slightly. “I do, but I don’t have access to it.”  
“Who does?”  
“The Ancient One.”  
I sighed heavily. “Is there an alternative?”  
Selene shook her head.  
I sighed, and cast several extremely complex illusions over myself to make me look like Dante from Devil May Cry. “Then I guess I get to visit an old friend.” I said in Dante’s voice.  
Selene nodded. “I’ll wait here. I’m not exactly….welcome there.”  
“Get everything ready for a fight. He can teleport, so the second we know where he is we have to move.”  
She nodded.  
“I’ll be back soon.” I opened a portal a few blocks away from the New York sanctum and walked through it.  
I quickly made my way through the busy sidewalk up to the sanctum and knocked on the door. A few moments later, a white-skinned man in Kamar-Taj robes opened the door.  
“Can I help you?” He asked with a smile.  
“Yes.” I replied. “I am here to see the Ancient One. I’m a fellow practitioner of magic, and I believe there is a threat that requires her attention. Would you please let her know that Rigel is here to see her?”  
The man’s smile morphed into an expression of distrust. “Wait here.” He said curtly, and closed the door in my face.  
I stood alone on the strip awkwardly while I waited, watching the city go about its day to day life.  
After half an hour, the door to the sanctum opened once more, only this time it was the Ancient One who opened it.  
“Rigel was it?” She asked with a tilted head. “I was told you desired to speak with me?”  
Catching on, I said. “Yes Ancient One, thank you for meeting with me. It’s truly an honor to meet you. May I come in? This shouldn’t be discussed in the street.”  
She gave me a once over, as if she was sizing me up, then stepped aside to let me in.  
I walked past, and noticed the four other robed figures in the entryway.  
“Let’s keep this short.” The Ancient One said. “What is it you are here to warn me about?”  
“En Sabah Nur is awake, and on the move.” I answered without preamble.  
The Ancient One’s eyes went wide, but none of the other sorcerers reacted in any noticeable way.  
“What is it you wish for me to do about this? Kamar-Taj only defends Earth from extra-dimensional threats.”  
I nodded. “I am aware Ancient One, but you are able to locate him. I was hoping you could find him, and inform me of his whereabouts so I may confront him myself.”  
She tilted her chin up. “En Sabah Nur is not an opponent to be taken lightly. I may very well be sending you to your death. Why should I do so?”  
“Because he’s going to try to change things in his favor. You should know better than I that everytime he wakes up he tries to either destroy or take over the world. He’s gathering his horsemen now, but he won’t be for long. Tell me where he is, and I’ll take care of it.”  
“How?” She asked with a tilted head. “I have stated he is exceptionally powerful. How do you intend to defeat him?”  
I shrugged. “I’d rather keep that to myself. You sorcerers have your secrets, and I have mine, but either way, you win. Either I beat him, and the problem is solved, or I weaken him a little bit and you come in to finish him off.” It was not that I didn’t trust her enough to let her know about Selene, it was the fact that the two of us aren’t quite alone that I’m playing things close to the chest.  
The Ancient One studied me, then turned and exited the room without a word.  
None of the other sorcerers moved or spoke, so I settled in to wait. Things devolved into an awkward silence, and I couldn’t help but grin when I saw one of the younger looking mages nervously fidgeting under my scrutiny.  
A tense few minutes passed, and the Ancient One returned.  
“He is currently in Paris. You should be able to sense him once you arrive in the city.”  
I bowed and said, “Thank you Ancient One. I apologize for the abrupt departure, but I have to leave before he moves on.”  
She made a dismissive motion with her hand and nodded. “Yes I understand. I wish you luck Rigel. Please do what you can to eliminate collateral damage.”  
I nodded, then strode out the door without another word.  
I needed to grab Selene, then the two of us needed to get to Paris now. Apocalypse’s teleportation was just as world spanning as ours, so if we missed him he could appear literally anywhere.  
I ducked into an alley to avoid attention and opened another portal. I stepped through, and found Selene waiting with a bag on the other side. The portal closed behind me, and I dispelled my Dante illusion.  
“There was no time to prepare any new potions or enchantments, so we’ll have to make do with what we had prepared prior.” She reached into the bag and withdrew three red colored potions from it. She held them out to me, and I placed them in my own satchel. “Where are we going?” She asked.  
“Paris.” I answered, and opened a portal to the named destination.  
We both hurried through, and I began to feel around with my senses.  
The Ancient One was right. The moment I opened up my mystical senses to detect powerful beings, I felt a beacon in the north.  
Selene’s gaze followed my own. She sensed it too. “Prepare yourself.” She said seriously. “You have never been in a battle of the proportions you are about to face before. If he has already gathered his followers, they will be your responsibility. Only aid me when they are neutralized.”  
A part of me wanted to argue that I shouldn’t be wasted on his lackeys, but the more logical side of me stomped out my pride. We were about to fight an immortal mutant who was worshipped as a god in ancient times. Selene’s sparring matches had helped me to improve, but I didn’t have the sheer experience she and Apocalypse had. Besides, she wasn’t side-lining me. My job was to get rid of his backup, then backup Selene. The faster I did my job, the sooner I could join in the big fight.  
“Got it.” I replied.  
Selene gave me a nod, then used her magic to rocket into the sky. Making a beeline for the beacon of power we both sensed.  
I supposed that meant we were throwing subtlety out the window. The entire street just saw her fly by, so there was no reason for me to stay hidden.  
I inhaled deeply, and allowed my outer energy to flare up with my exhale. My body became marked by the violet lines that I had grown accustomed with.  
It wasn’t required that I use this ‘form’ to access outer magic, but it gave me a significant boost, and I would need one right now.  
I lifted off the ground using a combination of wind and force magic, and shot after Selene. I ignored the startled gasps that accompanied my passing.  
Selene slowed down so I could catch up, and the two of us closed in on Apocalypse together. We came close enough to see our destination, and looked down upon an old warehouse.  
“I will try to force him to an isolated location. Preferably the Sahara, but if that fails be prepared to fight around civilians.”  
I turned to Selene in confusion. “Wouldn’t he be stronger with all that sand around?”  
She shook her head. “He can destroy and reconstruct the cement as easily as the sand. It would be better to fight him without civilians around. They’ll only get in the way.”  
I nodded. “You’re the expert.”  
“On my command.” She brought her arms up, and I felt her gather her magic.  
I copied her motion, and began channeling as well.  
A tense few seconds passed as we both prepared until Selene finally gave the order.  
“Now!” She screamed, and we both threw our hands forward. A veritable torrent of violet bolts firing forth at our command.  
The warehouse became a crater in moments. The walls, ceiling, and supports weren’t in good condition before our assault, so they gave like wet tissue paper. The only undamaged area of the warehouse was a small blue dome positioned close to the middle. Four figures stood within.  
There was a teenage girl with white hair and dark skin, a muscular young man with blonde hair and two silver wings, and a young woman holding a violet sword not dissimilar to the ones Selene and I summon with our magic.  
The final form was large, bulky. He wore a strangely patterned armoured robe, and his skin was a pale blue. He lowered his hand when Selene and my assault petered out, and the dome shaped barrier fell with the motion. He lazily turned to look at us, and froze when he saw my companion. “Selene.” He growled. “You still live.”  
As expected of my mentor, she wasted no time talking. She teleported into his shadow and jammed two violet blades into his sternum. She teleported away before anyone could retaliate.  
Apocalypse snarled and ripped the blades out of his body. His wounds began to close before my eyes.  
“Deal with the other.” He said dismissively, and he teleported.  
The remaining three turned to me, and charged.  
Angel grabbed Psylocke, and began hauling her up to me. Storm, meanwhile, lifted herself off the ground, and black clouds began to gather in the sky.  
At least they didn’t have Magneto with them. Without him I had a fairly good shot at taking them all out quickly.  
I noticed that Angel was having a hard time carrying Psylocke, so I ignored the two of them, and shot higher into the air. It would give Storm an advantage over me because she’d have better access to the weather, but that would make her overconfident. She was inexperienced, and would likely abandon her backup. Letting me fight them one by one.  
Sure enough, Storm cried out a challenge and flew higher after me.  
I waited until Angel was a speck before turning to confront the girl. “Is this really what you want? To destroy the world?” I asked. The volume of my voice was unaffected by the brewing thunder.  
Storm hesitated for a moment at my words, but a look of grim determination soon overtook her.  
I tried.  
She screamed, and the sky came alive.  
Black clouds glowed electric blue, and I was assaulted from every direction at once as fierce winds, sharp hail, and deadly lightning blasted through the sky.  
I summoned runes to absorb the lightning, using my senses to predict when it would strike as I was too slow to block it otherwise. The wind I corrupted into my flight spell, and the hail shattered harmlessly against my enchanted robes.  
Storm’s eyes shot wide when she realized how ineffective her attacks were, but it was too late.  
I shadowported behind her and summoned a rune. I placed it into her back and channeled a minor amount of the power I stole from her lightning back into her.  
She seized and screamed, then began to fall.  
I caught her before she could fall too far, and opened a portal. I deposited her unconscious form onto healthy green grass, and closed the portal.  
Storm had blame to shoulder here, but it was mostly forgivable given she was an extremely pliable child who was manipulated by an immortal tyrant. She needed help, and a place to grow. I couldn’t give her that, so I sent her to someone who could.  
Without its Mistress’s presence, the storm slowly began to fade away. The rumbling subsided, and the sky started to clear, but I didn’t focus on it. I had other obligations at present.  
Angel and Psylocke had given up on chasing me, and were standing on a roof trying to get a bead on me.  
I shadowported behind them and said, “This is your one chance to surrender peacefully.”  
The two spun around, and I was instantly under attack.  
Angel shot an array of feather shaped daggers towards me, and Psylocke charged with her energy blade. I teleported to the street below with a sigh.  
I didn’t want to hurt them, they were barely more than kids after all, but if that was how they wanted to play it….  
Angel roared and flew down after me, shooting more daggers as he went.  
Psylocke, meanwhile, dug her energy blade into the wall of the building to slow her fall down to me.  
I easily deflected all of Angel’s projectiles, and waited for him to get into melee with me.  
He twisted his body around at the last second, and launched towards me feet first.  
I stepped to the side to get around the strike, and punched him in the stomach as he passed by.  
He collapsed to the ground with a metallic clang as his wings made contact with the concrete, and he groaned as he forced himself to his feet.  
A high pitched scream drew my attention, and I spared a quick glance at a woman who was sheltering her kids from the insane battle happening around her.  
Angel let out an irritated groan, and flicked his wing in their direction.  
My eyes shot wide, and I shadowported in front of the family. The knives Angel shot embedded themselves into my hastily erected runes rather than the civilians.  
Angel snorted as he saw what I’d done. As if he was amused by the fact I’d spent the effort.  
At that moment, I made a decision.  
Storm had been manipulated, and ultimately hesitated before our confrontation. Angel had just tried to kill small children.  
No mercy.  
I shadowported behind him and shoved a violet blade into his throat.  
His eyes flew wide in surprise, pain, and fear, and he began to futilely grasp at the wound as I pulled away. He fell in a gasping, gurgling heap, and soon ceased moving.  
“Stop!”  
I turned to Psylocke, and saw her blade against the throat of another child.  
He was a small boy, wearing a red t-shirt and a pair of hole covered jeans, and there were tears in his eyes.  
I made my decision about Psylocke as well.  
A flick of my fingers, and a purple rune came to life around Psylocke’s wrists.  
She gasped and tried to move, but the runes wouldn’t so much as let her rotate her joint.  
I ran up to her and, after pulling the boy away from her, placed the rune I used against Storm against her head. As opposed to when I knocked out Storm, I let half of the rune’s energy drain away with the attack.  
Psylocke’s head exploded.  
I turned to the boy next to me, and shadowported him back to the first woman. I didn’t know if he was hers, but I couldn’t be distracted right now. “Take care of him.” I said to the woman, then teleported to the roof of a nearby building before she could get a word in.  
I began to feel around with my senses, but found nothing.  
Apocalypse wasn’t here, and neither was Selene.  
Only having one destination to go off of, I opened a portal to the Sahara desert and walked through. I had stepped into a warzone.  
The desert’s sky was dark with storm clouds in the middle of its dry season, and there were large craters in the sand all around me.  
A loud roar drew my attention, and I turned in time to see Apocalypse, now without his robe, holding his hand to the sky. An ocean of sand roared to meet his call, and a sizable portion of the desert rose up to try and swallow the flying form of Selene as she raced back and forth across the sky. Hurling bolts of purple energy downward whenever she had a free moment.  
I decided I need to bring out the big guns early on, so I hastily crafted a rune in my hand, and slammed it into my chest. Its violet glow intensified tenfold as it came into contact with the mystical lines running up and down my body.  
Preparations made, I used a technique I had only used in combat once before.  
I clapped my hands together, then threw my arms wide. Over fifty copies of myself flew out of me, and all but I made a mad break for Apocalypse.  
With Selene doing a sufficient job of distracting him, he noticed my horde too late to mount a good defense. My clones got within five meters of him, then activated the rune carved into their chest.  
A powerful explosion accompanied each clone’s motion, and Apocalypse was sent hurling between explosions like a pinball.  
While the sight was comical to behold, I had been hoping it would kill him. All it seemed to do was severely piss him off.  
He snarled, and glared at me. His hand came up in my direction, and the sands rose up to swallow me.  
I shadow ported immediately, and reconstituted in Selene’s shade.  
“Suggestions?!” I demanded as I recast my flight spell to hover next to her.  
“I need time.” She responded. “Stall him.” She teleported away.  
Stall him? Stall Apocalypse?! I was dead.  
Rather than comprehend exactly how impossible the task set before me was, I decided to just throw caution to the wind and go for it. Spending time trying to come with a plan would only get me killed.  
I turned back to face the blue man and saw him riding a mound of sand into the air toward me.  
Great. He watched Naruto and took notes from Gaara.  
Trying to force him back to the ground, I opened a portal above him and an anvil travelling at terminal velocity rocketed toward him.  
Somehow despite the anvil’s speed Apocalypse was able to create a barrier before it hit him, and the anvil melted to slag before it came into contact with him.  
How on Earth did he block that? It was moving at terminal velocity. What am I missing here?  
Apocalypse turned to me, and he growled at me. He didn’t like my attempt to turn him into paste.  
I flew higher to get away from the enraged mutant, and started hurling supercharged bolts of energy at him.  
Some he deflected or blocked with his strange blue energy barriers, others he just let hit him. His regeneration taking care of the injury in mere moments.  
He held his hands out, and the sand he stood on rose up his form and encased him in a rough tan colored armour.  
Out of nowhere his flight speed doubled and he began to close the gap.  
I started taking evasive maneuvers, and kept up my hail of spells.  
Again, they were far from effective.  
When he had nearly closed the distance to me, I started to hear a voice in my head.  
Why do you fight me child? You are not disgusting like the lesser sheep. You could be great, and I am in need of great servants.  
Instead of responding to the maniac, I slammed down hard with my mental barriers, and forced him out of my head. Nothing good would come from talking to him. He was likely just trying to distract me from the fight.  
He growled in irritation as he was shunted from my thoughts, and he made a fist in my direction.  
The air around me began to rapidly condense, and I was forced to teleport through my own shadow to avoid the ensuing explosions.  
Apocalypse roared, and the sky roared with him. The clouds lit up for him just as they did for Storm.  
Soon, I found myself dodging and blocking incoming lightning bolts on the ground.  
Apocalypse had taken the elevated position when I teleported to avoid being blown up, and he was using it to his advantage.  
Every time I tried to rise back into the sky he would force me back down with lightning, and any time I held still for too long he would move the sand to swallow me.  
I was trapped in a kill box, and I didn’t see a good way to get out of it.  
The mirror dimension and portals were too slow to avoid the sand, and shadowporting didn’t have the range I needed to successfully flee.  
I was starting to tire from dodging when I felt a pulse of magic right next to Apocalypse.  
I deflected another lightning bolt, and looked up.  
Selene had teleported right behind him, only she was different now. Her pale skin was covered in glowing violet lines. Lines just like the ones painting my body.  
She let loose a scream and grabbed onto Apocalypse’s head. The lines on her body lit up like the sun as she channeled all of her magic through them into Apocalypse.  
The sky lit up a bright blue behind them as Apocalypse tried to fight her off, but he was quickly overpowered, and the clouds in the sky began to unravel and retreat, giving way to daylight once more.  
Both of them began to scream over the high pitched whine of the magic, and soon they were falling out of the sky. Selene kept her iron grip on Apocalypse, and continued to force magic into him even as they descended.  
Apocalypse’s sand armor disintegrated under the assault, and soon he was left naked. His regeneration struggling to keep up with the sheer power Selene was forcing into him.  
With one last primal scream, Selene unleashed the last of her magic into the air around her, and the two falling bodies were swallowed by an expanding violet orb of energy.  
She copied my trump card. She copied my trump card.  
I needed to catch her before she died on impact. There’s no way she’ll be able to land properly after that.  
I flew until I was close enough to teleport into her shadow, then grabbed her. I slowly decreased the speed of our fall so as not to bring her to a jarring stop, then teleported to the ground.  
Apocalypse created a crater when he hit that sent sand a hundred feet into the air, but I wasn’t concerned with him at the moment.  
I laid Selene down on the sand, and hurriedly checked her over.  
She was heavily marred, and burned all over, but alive.  
I pulled out all three of the healing potions she gave me, and began to apply them. One I forced down her throat, and the other two I applied to her various wounds. It wouldn’t be enough to get her on her feet anytime soon, but it would be enough to keep her stable until I finished this.  
I opened a portal to one of our safehouses, and laid her down on a bed, then returned to the desert. I needed to check on Apocalypse.  
When I flew into the crater left by his landing, I found him in worse shape than Selene was in. One of his arms was literally hanging on by a thread, it was only still connected by a strand of….muscle? I couldn’t tell because his entire body was scorched black. Selene really did a number on him.  
A groan escaped his mouth, and I immediately started laying into him.  
How was he still alive after that?  
I summoned back my own outer energy form and unleashed every piece of magic at my disposal into him. I blasted him with bolts, ripped him apart with bands, stabbed him with spikes and swords, crushed him with extreme gravity, and did everything in my power to kill him.  
In the end, he stopped moving and making sound, but his regeneration was still slowly applying itself.  
How am I supposed to kill this guy? I think the Phoenix did him in the X-Men movies, but I’m not the Phoenix, and I lack a way to sufficiently atomize him.  
“....V….Vial…”  
I spun around in shock as a heavily wounded and gasping Selene fell through a rapidly closing portal.  
I ran over to her and caught her before she hit the ground. “How are you awake?” I asked as I gently lowered her down.  
She weakly shook her head at me. “Via….Vial…” She shakily held up a small glass tube filled with a black fluid. “Melt….Him….” her eyes rolled back and she passed out once more.  
I grabbed the vial out of her falling hand, and turned back to Apocalypse. His body was very slowly pulling itself back together, and he was starting to gasp once more.  
Trusting Selene, I uncorked the vial and used my telekinesis to lift the small amount of fluid out of it. I sent the liquid towards Apocalypse, and was rewarded with a hoarse scream the moment it touched his skin. He tried to flinch away, but he was too wounded to properly flee.  
I didn’t give him any reprieve. I slowly moved the black fluid over his entire body, everywhere it touched he was simply erased. The liquid would wrap around his finger, and he wouldn’t have a finger afterwards. The liquid itself never lost any of its mass, so I never stopped moving it around.  
It took upwards of five minutes worth of Apocalypse dying a very slow death, but in the end there was no trace of him left.  
I pulled the liquid back into what I now knew was a heavily enchanted vial, and recorked it, holding it up to my eye level.  
What the hell was this stuff? More importantly, where did Selene get it?  
I heard a rhythmic beating getting steadily closer, and turned to the East. There was a formation of four helicopters moving in our direction, all of which looked too advanced for current technology.  
The liquid could wait. I needed to get Selene out of here.  
I pocketed the vial, and gently picked Selene’s limp form up. I carried her through another portal, and closed it behind me just as the helicopters were moving in on our position.  
I laid Selene down in the same bed she had somehow willpowered herself out of, and began going through all the materials we had on hand here. I brewed some more potions, and set about making sure Selene didn’t die. She wasn’t in terrible condition, but that could change at any moment, and I was going to be prepared for it if it did.  
That was how I spent the next four hours. Brewing potions, applying potions, checking over Selene, and just making sure she stayed stable. In the end, when I had done all I could, I grabbed a chair, and sat down next to her.  
I was honestly amazed she was still alive. The spell she copied off me was designed to be a last ditch suicide bomb, and she was able to stand up after it.  
Why? Why did she do that? No, wrong question. Why did she help me to begin with? Apocalypse wasn’t her problem, he was mine. I wouldn’t have had a chance on my own, but she very easily could have told me to screw off, and I would've. I probably still would have tried to kill him, but….  
I slowly panned to look at Selene’s battered face.  
Was it really that simple? Was this not some key part of an extensive plan? Did she not have an angle other than helping me?  
I sighed, and dropped my head into my hands.  
Debating this forever would get me nowhere. I’ll just ask her when she wakes up.  
I stayed with her through the night to make sure nothing happened to her. I don’t remember falling asleep.

(Ororo Munroe)

My head hurts. My back too. What happened?  
I blinked my eyes open, and looked around.  
I was in a….hospital? This was the nicest hospital I’d ever seen. There were lots of fancy looking pieces of equipment whose purpose I didn’t understand, and a IV drip hooked up to my arm. That much I recognized.  
What happened? I was fighting the purple man, then I fell. Was I captured? What are they going to do to me?  
A cold dread settled inside my stomach.  
Were they going to cut me open? To try to figure out how I moved the clouds?  
The wooden door to the room opened, and I gasped, panicking. I relaxed slightly when a black haired man in a wheelchair. At least I would be able to run.  
The man smiled. “Hello young lady. My name is Charles Xavier. Let me first assure you that you are safe, and that nothing will happen to you here. On that you have my word. My friend wouldn’t have sent you here if he thought you were a bad person.”  
I hesitantly allowed myself to relax more. “What friend?”  
The man in the wheelchair smiled, and rolled over to a TV on the wall. He pushed a few buttons, and a video began playing. I gasped as I watched it.  
It was a film of my fight with the purple man, and….no! I wouldn’t….we were supposed to make everything better….why would Angel…..I needed to get out of here!  
The man in the wheelchair, somehow sensing my intentions, held his hands up and said, “Please wait!”  
I ignored him, pulled the IV out of my arm, and….  
Ororo! I’m not going to hurt you!  
What was that? It sounded like the man in the wheelchair….  
The man smiled.  
Because it was.  
I gasped.  
You’re not alone, Ororo. I’ll do everything I can to help you.  
“You….you’re like me?”  
He nodded. “We all are.”  
“We?”  
He smiled, and motioned for me to follow him. “Come with me.”  
After hesitating for a moment, I stood up and followed him.  
I wasn’t alone.


	14. 14

I awoke to the sound of amused chuckling. I sat up, looked around, and saw Selene lying in bed with a newspaper. She was looking much better than she had last night. There were still marks where she was burned or struck, but they had faded as if they had been healing for weeks. Her potions were quite potent.  
She must have noticed my waking, because she turned to me with a smile and held up the paper. “You made the front page.”  
“Wait….where did you get that? You should be resting.”  
She smiled. “I am. It’s a simple matter to open a portal to the backroom of a corner store without anyone noticing, now look upon your majesty!” She finished exaggeratingly.  
I sighed, and took the paper from her. What I saw caused me to pause.  
I don’t know who took this, or how they had such perfect timing, but the picture shows me facing Angel while shielding a mother and two of her children from said mutants attack. Luckily, the picture was taken mere milliseconds after I dropped my rune, because otherwise people would have seen the obviously mystical markings on it. As it was, it appeared as nothing more than a mutant’s energy barrier.  
I gave a quick scan over the article. It was more speculative than anything else. Why were mutants fighting, and were some actually on ‘our’ side? Typical media nonsense.  
“I didn’t see the cameraman.” I said as I handed the paper back to Selene.  
She chuckled. “Of course not. You were too busy being a glorious hero!” She threw her arms wide dramatically, and winced slightly at the action.  
“Take it easy.” I said. “You just blew yourself up, you need to give the potions time to fix you.”  
She sighed and heavily fell against the pillows. “I hate being immobile.”  
I grinned. “You know I do too, but I do it when I need to.”  
She hmm’d noncommitedly, then turned to me with a serious expression. “What happened to En Sabah Nur?”  
“Dead.” I respond simply. “Or at least I think he’s dead. That depends on what that black liquid you gave me was, and what it does.” I prodded.  
She sighed. “It is something I developed a long time ago, after my first battle with the man. His unnaturally fast healing was difficult to work around, so I decided I would be prepared the next time we fought. The potion, more of a poison really, turns the regenerative capabilities of the target against themselves. The stronger the ability, the more powerful the poison is.”  
I raised an eyebrow. “So that thing basically makes people eat themselves?”  
She shook her head. “Only those with above average regeneration. Normal humans would be burned by it, but would be fine so long as it is removed quickly. Others like En Sabah Nur however, would suffer as he did.”  
So useful against Sabertooth, useless against Thanos.  
“Does it work on anything inorganic?”  
“No. It was difficult enough to make it in the first place. Once I succeeded, I decided against risking my one success to maybe be able to improve it. It would do its job, and that was enough. Speaking of the poison, I hope you still have it?”  
I nodded, and motioned to one of the cabinets. “It’s in there with the other dangerous stuff.”  
She smiled glowingly. “Marvelous. Then I suppose this is the end of this chapter. Congratulations Rigel, you just killed an immortal.”  
I scoffed. “Uh huh. Just cut yourself out of the equation why don’t you? If you hadn’t turned him into a literal puddle of limbs, I wouldn’t have had a chance against him.”  
She put her hand on her chin in mock thought. “I suppose, but you were the one to finish the deed.”  
I raised an eyebrow. “Let’s just say we killed him and leave it at that.”  
Selene nodded. “Acceptable.”  
We lapsed back into silence.  
As I watched her begin to fidget from sitting still for too long, my mind wandered back to a thought I had last night.  
“Selene?”  
She turned to me. “Yes Rigel?”  
“Why did you help me with this? You’ve never said anything about having a grudge against Apoca…. En Sabah Nur, so why did you help, and why’d you go so far as to literally blow yourself up?”  
She plastered a fake smile on her face, she was a good actress, but I’ve been around her long enough to tell the difference. “Because it was the right thing to do of course!”  
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Bullshit.”  
Her smile disappeared at my look. “I didn’t believe that would work, but you can’t blame me for trying.” She sighed and looked at the ceiling. “You know why.” She said quietly.  
“No. I don’t.”  
She rolled her head over to look at me. “Yes. You do, so say it.”  
“Say what?”  
She remained silent, choosing to just stare at me.  
I sighed. “You did it for me.”  
She smiled, a real smile this time. “Correct.”  
“But why?” I asked.  
Her smile faded slightly. “You know the answer to that question as well.”  
I suppose I did, didn't I? We had a conversation about this a short while ago, but I honestly haven’t given it much thought. What with Apocalypse popping up the same day.  
“Because you want an equal.” I finally say.  
Her smile disappears completely, and she stares at me with hard eyes. “You still don’t get it do you?”  
I raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t exactly had a chance to think about this yet, so forgive me for still not knowing everything.”  
She shook her head, and sat up with a wince. I moved to help her, but she put a hand up.  
She looked at me with a determined expression, and said, “I want you. You are my equal. Maybe not today, but soon.”  
I sighed. “I’m still not sure why it has to be me.”  
She held my gaze, and there was silence for a moment before she spoke again. “For thousands of years, I have only ever gone to bed with men and women to relieve stress. I have never truly desired anyone. I have never found myself wanting to spend as much time as possible with them. I have never found myself becoming irritated when they are apart from me. Yet, all these things, I feel for you. That is why I want you. Why I won’t accept anyone else.”  
I remained silent as I thought it over.  
This….this seemed deeper than I thought. I’d honestly thought she just wanted someone to parade around with that wouldn’t die on her, but she’s making it sound like she actually cares about me. That’s just….not what I was expecting.  
Truthfully, I’ve grown to care for her as well over the years. It’s kind of impossible not to when you spend so much time around someone. Either you learn to like them, or grow to hate them.  
Okay, let’s think this over. What are my hang-ups? For one, I’ve only ever had one serious relationship, which was in my past life, and it ended in flames. What Selene seems to want is a lot deeper than that. I’m just not sure I’m cut out for that. I’d prefer to keep doing as I have in this life. I’ve gone on a number of dates in this life, but always made sure my partner knew that I wasn’t going to be around long from the start. Between my immortality and eventual showdown with Thanos, none of those relationships would have worked out, so I left, but if I tried to leave Selene like that, she would literally kill me. She can get crazy about stuff she actually cares about.  
So, the question is whether or not I’d be willing to do this.  
On paper it sounded nice. Having someone like that would be amazing. Realistically though, I didn’t see any way this could work. People will inevitably argue over simple things, and the longer you spend around someone the more time that has to build up, so two immortals could have a long build up. I didn’t know what I wanted to do here.  
With a sigh, I refocused on Selene. “Why are you so insistent on this? It doesn’t seem to be your style, putting yourself out there this much.”  
Her eyes narrowed. “I can tell when one is stalling for time, but I will humor you.”   
Busted.  
She continued. “I’m far too old to beat around the bush when I see something I want. In most cases, I would simply take it, but you can see how that will not work in this instance. Now, I would hear your thoughts.”  
I leaned back in my chair. Here goes nothing. “The issues I have with this are that I’ve never had a serious relationship before, in either life, and that we’re both immortal. There’s no telling what will happen in a hundred years, assuming of course we kill Thanos, and I’d rather not have to look over my shoulder for an enraged ex that’s trying to take my head off.”  
She straightened. “The first is simple, I have never had a serious relationship either, so we can learn together.”   
I really don’t think that’s how it works.  
“As to the second,” She continued. “So long as the two of us are willing to communicate, and listen to one another, I do not foresee an issue. Is that all?”  
I let out a long breath, but didn’t answer.  
She just did a good job of making both issues seem much simpler than they actually are. Figuring things out as you go is a good way to walk off a cliff, and while communication is great, it doesn’t solve every issue.  
Selene reached out and grabbed my hand. “Please Rigel. This….this could be everything. Don’t you see that?”  
“It could also be a mistake.” I responded softly.  
Her eyes fell to the floor. “I will not deny that, but it is a risk I am willing to take.” Her eyes found mine once more. Her gaze was steel. “I will ask you once more, and if you refuse, I will never broach the topic again. Please Rigel, be mine so I might be yours.”  
I swallowed as I looked into her eyes.  
This was by far the most vulnerable I had ever seen her. She usually kept up a good facade of disinterest, but it had been torn down for this moment. The yearning in her features was genuine, as was the fear, and hope, and nervousness. I knew if I turned her down now, things would never be the same between us, but then again, things would never be the same no matter how I answered. So there was only one question to ask myself.  
What did I want?  
I considered Selene’s plea for almost a full minute, and with each passing second, the despair on her features grew.  
Eventually, she released my hand and began to pull away. “Very well. I will not br….mwh?”  
I had closed the distance between us and pressed my lips against hers.  
Her eyes shot wide, then I felt her smile against my lips as she wrapped her arms around my neck to pull me closer to her.  
I was in uncharted territory. I had no idea what I was doing, and no idea if things would end well, but I was going to try. I was going to try because I wanted this.  
The two of us pulled back for air, and Selene smiled brightly up at me. “You will never regret this. I will be at your side for all time.” She vowed.  
I brushed a stray lock of hair behind her hair, and smiled. “I would hope so, it is what you promised after all.”  
Her smile turned hungry. “Yes. I did.” She pulled me to her lips again and we met in a hungry kiss.  
Selene moaned against my mouth, and began to drag me down on top of her.  
I broke away from her breathlessly before things could progress too far. “Selene….you’re injured. We should….”  
Her lips pressed against mine again, effectively silencing my protests.  
She pulled me down until I was straddling her, then pulled away. She brought a hand around and laid it gently against my cheek. “I know my limits, and I am well enough for this. Do not take this moment from yourself, or from me.”  
I hesitated a moment, but Selene once more pulled me into a kiss, and I lost myself in the immortal sorceress in my arms.

I woke feeling warm and comfortable. I opened my eyes, and found myself face to face with a slumbering Selene. Her legs were tangled in mine, and she was using my arm as a pillow.  
I smiled as I looked down at her. She looked so peaceful, so unbothered by the world, so content. Typically, she looks as if she expects everyone around her to shove a knife into her stomach, so this is a nice change.  
I slowly bring my free hand up and gently brush her cheek.  
She bristles slightly at the touch, but a smile settles onto her face.  
This….this wasn’t my most logical decision, but I can’t bring myself to regret it. Ever since I woke up in this world, I’ve been alone. It started with my terrible parents, then it continued at Kamar-Taj when I intentionally isolated myself from the other students. I’ve always had trouble letting people close, and Thanos was a more than sufficient excuse to use against them, and later against the X-Men. It’s been how long since I saw any of them?  
I’ve been alone this whole time, and I’ve longed for someone to be there for me even though I knew I wouldn’t put in the effort to try to find someone. Then Selene throws that on its head and confesses she wants to spend eternity with me. I was scared, as I typically am around people I care about, but decided to throw caution to the wind.  
Laying here, next to a nude Selene, I can’t bring myself to even think I made the wrong decision, but time will tell I suppose.  
Selene stirred as I brushed my thumb against her cheek, and her eyes fluttered open. She seemed confused for a moment, then she saw me, and her entire being relaxed as she looked up at me. “Rigel. My Rigel.”  
“How are you feeling?” I queried. Potions or no potions, she was still injured, and sex likely didn’t help her recover.   
She smiled, and shuffled over so she could lay against my shoulder. “Better. Free. Home.”  
I draped my arm over her shoulder, and kissed her forehead. “So do I.”  
She hmm’d contentedly, and fell asleep against me.  
I chuckled at her, and pulled a blanket over us, before I followed her back into unconsciousness.


	15. 15

Things had been…. nice. Surprisingly nice. I was terrified things with Selene would blow in my face, but things have been going well. We’ve been wandering around the world for a while, and just enjoying being around each other.  
That said, we haven’t been ignoring everything else. Selene’s kept steadily training me, I’ve been working on enchantments, and we’ve both been abusing Selene’s Hellfire position to subtly influence things. Nothing major, just more funding to certain organizations, namely SHIELD, Stark Industries, Pym Technologies, and a few others. At first I was hesitant to influence the timeline too much, but Selene brought up the very good point that I wasn’t even sure what the timeline was. As far as I knew, she and Apocalypse shouldn’t be here. There was also the point that everything I’ve set in motion so far has been to influence the timeline. I shouldn’t stop now just because it’s getting closer to the Avengers’s era.  
Unfortunately, this revelation came too late to save Tony Stark’s parents. Just last week his death was reported on by every news outlet on the planet. I had been so focused on deciding what to change, as well as Selene, that I hadn’t thought to cast my recall spells to see what was happening soon, and Howard and Maria lost their lives because of it.  
“There’s nothing we can do for them now.” Selene said to pull me out of my funk. “All we can do, is ensure their legacy remains, and remove the threat that killed them.”  
I looked up at her. “I’m guessing Hellfire knows about Bucky then?”  
She raised an eyebrow at me. “No. They do not. Who is Bucky?”  
“Bucky Barnes was a member of Captain America’s Howling Commandos during World War 2. He was reported KIA, but really Hydra nabbed him. They brainwashed him and have been using him to remove certain ‘problems’ in the guise of the Winter Soldier.” I explained.  
“The Winter Soldier I have heard of, but I was unaware that Hydra still exists, nor was I aware they were behind the assassin.” Selene said in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” She asks without accusation.  
“Honestly I thought you knew. That, and I was distracted with getting stronger. I originally ignored him because I thought we’d need him against Thanos, but I think that’s just a convenient excuse. Maybe if I had put training on the backburner I could’ve stopped this.”  
Selene shakes her head. “Do not let your thoughts carry you down that road, I would hate to have to beat your sense back into you. Whether different actions on your part could have changed the situation or not, all that matters is things have occurred as they have. Now we must react. What do you plan to do about Bucky Barnes?”  
“We can’t leave him under Hydra. Both because they’ll keep using him to systematically destroy everything, and I should have freed him the moment they took him.” I cast a quick spell. “He was held in a Siberian Hydra base along with another group of enhanced that Hydra experimented on. The others are more machine than human, and it would be better if we take them out before anyone wakes them up.”  
“What are we waiting for?” Selene opened a portal, and the two of us walked through into the snow.  
“Do you know where exactly the facility is located?” Selene asked.  
“No. All I know is that it’s somewhere in Siberia.”  
Selene sighed. “This may take some time.”

“Bingo.” I said.  
Selene and I had been combing Siberia with our magic while flying at our top speed for a solid week, and I’m honestly surprised we found the facility this fast. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, just a heavy steel door and a lot of snow, but Selene and I can feel a small amount of the inside with our magic.   
The complex extends down into the ground for a good hundred feet, and is divided into several different rooms. Most have some form of scientific equipment, but there are also simple mess halls and sleeping quarters. The base is also populated. Selene and I sensed over a hundred people in the facility.  
“How do you want to handle this?” Selene asked.  
“We need to kill them.” I replied simply. “Preferably fast. I don’t want to give them time to get an alarm off, or warn any other Hydra cells. We may or may not go after more of them later, but I’d like for us to be an unknown if at all possible.”  
“And Barnes? I do not possess the ability to manipulate another’s mind to free them from mental conditioning, and I know you do not. What should we do with him?”  
I remained silent for a moment.  
Charles could help him. Easily. Would he be willing to though?  
“Charles.” I said aloud. “Charles can help him.”   
This would offend the professor as much as it did me. They brainwashed a man, enslaved him, and used him to murder his friends. Charles would help him.  
Selene nodded. “Very well. I will create a portal to the lowest point in the facility and work my way through their forces from below while you do the same from above. What does Barnes look like? I would hate to accidentally kill him due to ignorance.”  
“He’ll be the only one down there with an adamantium left arm. He also has black hair if they happen to have another cyborg.”  
“Very well. I will see you soon.” Selene waved her hand, and stepped through the portal.  
Not wasting time, I fell into my shadow and appeared on the other side of the steel door.  
There was a man in a black uniform on the other side whose eyes went wide when he saw me, but I electrocuted him before he could speak.  
He spasmed as the bolt hit him, and he fell over dead.  
I left him and moved on. I needed to deal with as many as I could before they triggered an alarm.  
I sensed around for the largest gathering of Hydra personnel, and found a large gathering in the mess hall.  
They were meeting for lunch. That made things much easier. Thank you all for gathering in a single easy to destroy location.  
I walked to the threshold of the mess hall and started casting spells immediately.  
Everyone seated within started to freak out and yell at me in German, but I didn’t waste time casting a translation spell to understand them. The black uniformed guards started reaching for weapons while the lab coated wearing scientists and civilian clothes wearing….someones dove behind cover.  
I ignored the shouted orders of the gun wielding guards, and finished my magic.  
With a loud cracking sound, the cement ceiling began to collapse. It came away in small pebbles at first, but quickly evolved into large chunks that fell and crushed the Hydra personnel within.  
I created a magical barrier over both exit points to keep them trapped inside, and moved on.  
I had spotted three cameras since entering the facility, which meant someone was going to call for help soon. Selene and I needed to be long gone by the time they got here.  
I ignored the panicked screams from the mess hall behind me, and broke into a run towards the next gathering of Hydra agents.  
This time, the moment I reached the door I found myself under fire. I ducked behind the cement to buy myself a moment, and cast a quick spell. A thin violet barrier of energy appeared in front of me, and I stepped back into the doorway.  
There was a three row deep firing line facing me. One group of five was laying on their stomachs, the next were kneeling above them, and the last were standing above them. A man with countless metals adorning his uniform barked a command in german, and all three rows opened fire.  
The bullets impacted my shield, but deflected off of it harmlessly. I strode forward into the room, and the officer began to panic.  
He ran to the back of the room, and reached into a crate.  
Not content to let him try whatever he was plotting, I reached my left hand towards the ground, and twenty bands of energy shot forth. They snaked along the ground until they reached the firing line, and latched onto a single soldier each. The bands began constricting and burning the Hydra soldiers wherever they were touched, and the men began to scream. The officer was just beginning to pull a large black weapon of some kind out of his crate when the remaining five bands reached him. They quickly ran up his body and latched around his neck. His scream was cut off when the band burned through his throat, decapitating him.  
I left the collection of corpses behind, and continued through the facility. I only sensed one more agent on this floor. They were barricaded in a room just in front of me, and they were shaking.  
Rather than walking through the obvious trap they’d set up, I just shadowported behind them.   
The agent was trembling as she held a blue glowing gun trained on the door across from her. There were several screens in the room that played the live camera feed from the entire facility.  
On one screen, Selene was holding a man by his throat and using him as a human shield. She began laughing like a maniac as his allies riddled him full of holes. She dropped the dead man, and began to tear through the remaining soldiers with violet swords.  
The agent in front of me squawked in surprise, her eyes focused on a single monitor. There was a gathering of swirling shadows that quickly disappeared.  
Huh. I’ve never seen what my shadow teleport leaves behind. That was actually kind of interesting.  
I conjured a blade of violet energy, and stabbed it through the Hydra agent’s throat.  
She tried to level her strange gun towards me as she was dying, but I just knocked it away. I didn’t want to find out what that thing did.  
The woman collapsed in a heap, and I walked over to the monitors. I arrived just in time to see Selene finish with the group she was dealing with.  
I moved on, and began to look for a very specific individual. I found him sleeping in a tank next to several other individuals also slumbering in tanks.  
I opened a portal to the room, and walked through.  
Trapped in suspended animation right in front of me was none other than Bucky Barnes. Surrounding him were several other figures also kept under.  
I held both of my hands out, and sent violet bands of energy from them to wrap around all the tanks except for Bucky’s. With a quick flex of my fingers, the bands crushed the tanks, and the individuals inside them. Killing them instantly.  
I walked up to Bucky’s tank, and pulled the emergency release lever.  
The tank purged its water, and Bucky’s eyes shot wide. They locked onto me, and he charged. He raised his metal arm back to punch me, but someone grabbed him from behind and threw him down.  
“Sorry.” Selene said down to the brainwashed man. “Only I get to hurt him.” She placed a palm against his forehead, and Bucky went limp. He was unconscious.   
“Ya know, people are going to think I’m in an abusive relationship if you keep saying things like that.” I said conversationally as I walked up to the two of them.  
Selene shrugged. “From a certain perspective we both are. Do we not attempt to kill each other at least once a month?”  
“Fair point I guess.” I was in an abusive relationship with an immortal sorceress. My Tuesdays have gotten really weird.  
“Do we take him right to Xavier?” Selene asked.  
“No. Let’s get him to a safehouse first, then we’ll talk to Charles before just dropping him on the lawn.”  
“Like you did with that young girl?” Selene asked with a smirk.  
I grimaced slightly. “I didn’t exactly have a lot of time to talk to him there.”  
She laughed, and opened a portal beneath Bucky. His slumbering body fell right through.  
A loud boom shook the facility.  
“Guess their friends showed up. That was honestly much faster than I was expecting.” I said, unworried.  
“This is where they kept some of their greatest assets.” Selene reasoned, equally unperturbed. “It makes sense that they would defend it viciously.”  
“You wouldn’t have happened to find a self-destruct would you?”  
Selene smiled an evil smile. “I’m almost insulted you had to ask.” She opens a small portal beneath her hand, reaches through with her hand, then quickly pulls it back out. “I advise we vacate the premises within the next twenty seconds.”  
I opened a portal, and the two of us walked through just as another explosion signified the entry of several dozen Hydra agents into the facility.  
The portal closed behind us, and we found Bucky sleeping on the couch of our Los Angeles safe house.  
“So, Xavier?” Selene prompted.  
I nodded. “Xavier.” There was no reason to waste time.  
I cast a quick spell to clean the debris and blood off the two of us, and opened another portal. Selene followed me through, and we stepped out on a gravel road that led up to a large mansion. I expected that. What I didn’t expect was the sheer amount of people here.  
There was a new basketball court on the front lawn, and it was occupied by a group of twenty kids divided into two teams. Most of them looked like normal humans, but a few had easy to spot mutant characteristics. One girl had chitinous tendrils in place of hair, and a boy had weird stone-like plating on his forearms.  
Another new addition was the large courtyard. There were stone benches surrounding a large circular cement area with a tree growing in its middle. A small girl was holding her hand up to the tree, and it bent over to deposit a flower in her hand. She laughed and began to twirl around.  
Out in the field, yet another group of kids were playing football. A young girl through the ball, only for it to disappear through a purple rimmed portal and head the complete opposite direction to the waiting hands of an even smaller girl on the other team. Everyone began arguing about the legality of using powers in a mutant football game, and I couldn’t help the smile that wormed its way onto my face.  
The pond, that has been there since I arrived last, is frozen over despite the burning sun, and a large group of kids are skating on its surface. A young boy periodically leans down to touch the ice, and what little had melted freezes over instantly.  
This place had changed a lot, and it was definitely for the better. Before, not even a dozen mutants lived here, but over the years it has expanded quite a lot.   
It’s good these kids have a place they can be themselves without worrying about judgment and power hungry individuals looking to use their powers for themselves.  
“I must say, this is definitely not the isolated ghost town you described.” Selene pulls me from my thoughts.  
“It’s changed a lot since I was here last.” I answer. “Honestly it’s really nice to see.”  
“I agree. I doubt there is anywhere else in the world these children could demonstrate their powers so casually without being forcefully enlisted into either a military or a laboratory. Your friend has done quite well.”  
My good mood sours a bit when Selene mentions ‘my friend’. I’m not sure how Charles will react to my presence, but I hope he’ll at least hear me out about Bucky before he asks us to leave.  
“Let’s go.” I said.  
The two of us walked down the gravel path, and soon we’re noticed.  
It started with the basketball players. One of the boys in their group noticed us, and the entire game slowed to a halt as everyone panned over to watch us approach. The ice skaters followed, then the football players, then finally tree girl. Before too long, the activity around us has ground to a halt as everyone stares at us in apprehension.  
Why were they reacting so strongly to us? Did we look threatening?  
I gave both Selene and myself a once over.  
Selene was wearing one of her long flowing black dresses, and I was wearing my blue combat robes. Neither of us were wearing clothes people would consider ‘normal’.  
Oh, it’s not that we’re intimidating. It’s that we look like we got lost on our way to the circus. Oh well, I’m here to get Charles’s help not theirs.  
The further down the path Selene and I walked, the more attention we garnered. Some of the kids were feverishly whispering to one another, others were pointing and laughing, and some looked scared.  
This. This right here was why I avoided people. Things were so much easier when I didn't have to deal with stuff like this.  
Selene and I ignored the children’s mutterings, and made it into the courtyard. Before we could make it further, the mansion’s front door opened. A large blue furred man wearing a well tailored suit emerged from within with one of the boys who was playing football poking their head around the furred man’s knee.  
The kids got help from their teachers when the two strange adults showed up. Smart kids.  
“Hello.” The man greeted us as he approached. “Is there anything I can help you….Rigel?”  
I smiled. “Nice to see you again Hank. You look well.”   
And he did. When I last saw him he was still dealing with his sudden physical change, and it was taking a toll on him. Now he seemed as if he’d completely accepted it.  
I look around the grounds. “Everything looks like it’s going well now that I mention it.”  
Hank stared at me with his jaw hanging open, then his mouth slowly pulled up into a grin. “Rigel!” He cried enthusiastically.  
The next thing I knew, I was being hugged by a very large, very strong mutant.  
“It’s good to see you old friend! How have you been?”  
“Hank….ribs….”  
“Oh! Apologies.”  
He set me down, and I took in a large gulp of air.  
Selene did nothing but laugh at my pain through the whole exchange.  
“Hank, meet Selene. Selene, Hank McCoy.” I got out between wheezes.  
Hank’s eyes narrowed a slight amount as I introduced Selene, but he held his hand out all the same. “How do you do?”  
Selene grinned. “A gentleman! Such a rare thing in this day and age. I am well Mr. McCoy, and yourself?”  
“Call me Hank, and I’m fine thank you.” He turned back to me, and his face lit up once more. “Come in! We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” He led Selene and I back up towards the mansion.  
Having seen that we weren’t enemies, the kids had relaxed. Some of them lost interest and went back to their various activities, but others only became more intrigued after Hank’s greeting. They appeared to be wondering who I was and how I knew Hank.  
Hank led us inside, and I let out a whistle of appreciation.  
The house too had changed since I’d last been here. It used to have unused furniture periodically placed throughout the halls, but almost all of it had been removed. Walls had also been put up in places to make more classrooms. Everything had been altered to make the home into a school, and whoever worked on it did a good job.  
“What have you been up to?” Hank asked as he led us through the bustling halls.   
The various students were intrigued by the two new people walking around in strange clothes, but no one seemed to want to interrupt Hank, so they kept their distance.  
“A lot.” I answer. “I’ve been training, exploring, and helping where I can.”  
“Exploring huh? Anywhere in particular?”  
“Everywhere. When you can teleport anywhere in the world, you don’t really need to worry about expenses.”  
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have to take me along sometime.”  
“What about you?” I asked. “Doing anything other than working with the school?”  
“My research mainly, though I’ve also been speaking out on behalf of mutants, but I don’t have the most traction right now. I’ll stick with it though. I’ll only fail when I give up.”  
“A strong attitude.” Selene commented approvingly. “It will take you far.”  
Hank turned back to her with a tilted head. “Forgive me for prying, but how is it that you came to be on friendly terms with each other? The last time I saw either of you, you were attempting to kill each other.”  
Selene chuckled. “Had I been trying to kill him, he would be dead.”  
Hank looks to me for verification, and I shrug.  
“I would recommend never getting on her bad side. She’s destroyed landscapes by accident before.”  
“That was your fault.” Selene hissed, prompting me to laugh. How was I supposed to know she could get…. explosive during intercourse?  
“If you’d prefer, I could refrain from bringing such a situation about in the future?”  
Selene glared at me. “Do not even think about it, Lover.” She finished with my pet name.  
Hank’s eyes went wide, and he looked at me in surprise.  
“What can I say? I’m a lucky guy.”  
Selene smiled, and took my arm as she leaned into me. “And don’t forget it.”  
Hank blinked, then continued on as if he'd decided to forget the past fifteen seconds.  
“The others will want to see you too.” He said. “The only one who has had any contact with you is Erik.”  
“Erik’s still here?” I asked in surprise. I would’ve thought he’d have gone back to the Brotherhood after he ensured his family was safe.  
Hank nodded. “We helped him set up a life for his family, so he decided to stick around. I was sceptical at first, but he’s been a good influence on the kids.”  
That was…. not at all what I expected. Was Erik still Magneto? What would happen if he wasn’t Magneto? What would…. You know what? No. I refuse to worry about this. Erik’s not a terrorist at present, so I’ll count that as a win.  
“Who else is still around?” I asked.  
“Darwin and I are the only two who still teach here, but Alex, Sean, and Raven stop by to say hi periodically. We even saw Angel a few months ago.”  
“Any idea what everyone’s up to?”  
Hank shook his head. “Aside from Raven, no. She’s doing her best to track down abused mutants and give them a chance for a better life. Everyone else has moved on, and are living their lives as they see fit.”  
The three of us walk up to a door, and I’m suddenly regretting my trip here.  
Charles wanted me to stay away last I saw him. He wasn’t in a good place, but I didn’t know if he still felt that way.  
Before I could protest, Hank through the door open, and we all walked in.  
“Charles. I stumbled upon an old friend.”  
The bald man seated behind his desk looks up, and his eyes instantly lock onto me.  
I gave a hesitant wave. “Hello Charles.”  
He blinked, then blinked again, then his face lit up with a warm smile. “Rigel! It’s so good to see you again!”  
I felt myself relax as I beheld his reaction. Maybe I should have stopped by sooner?  
“The school looks to be quite successful.” I commented.  
He waved me off as his wheelchair carried him around his desk. “We’ll talk about that later. How have you been?”  
“Well.” I answer. “Yourself?”  
“Exceptionally well.”  
“Ahem.” Selene nudges my shoulder.  
“Sorry love. Charles, this is Selene. Selene, Charles Xavier.”   
Charles holds a hand out to her. “It’s good to properly meet you Selene. Thank you for not dismembering Rigel.”  
Selene smiles as she shakes his hand. “You I like.”  
I sighed. “You brought this upon yourself Charles. I’ll remember you as you were.”  
He chuckled. “I appreciate that.” He turned to me, and his smile dimmed. “Rigel, I owe you an apology.”  
I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment.  
“When we last saw each other, I was not my best self.” He continues. “I hope you can forgive everything I said to you. It was….”  
I held up a hand, and he stopped talking. “I get it Charles. Things weren’t exactly simple back then. Apology accepted.” I was just happy to have my friend back.  
Charles smiled widely, and nodded his head to me. “Thank you Rigel. That means a lot. Now, what can I do for you? Have you come for a tour?”  
“As much as we would both appreciate one, I’m afraid our visit is the result of business.” Selene answers.  
Charles became serious. “How can I help?”  
I stepped forward. “We recently…. liberated a man from enslavement.”  
Hank’s eyes shot wide, but Charles kept his expression controlled. “What happened to this man?”  
“Too much. Far too much. I hope I can trust your discretion? This is…. not a usual circumstance.” I asked.  
Both Hank and Charles nodded.   
I nodded. “Thank you.” I waved my hands, and opened a portal. “If you would follow me?”  
Selene strode right through, and Hank and Charles followed after a moment’s hesitation. We all emerged into Selene and I’s safehouse right before a slumbering Bucky Barnes.  
“Good heavens. What happened to this man?” Charles asked in shock as he laid a hand on Bucky’s forehead.  
“This is Bucky Barnes.” I began. “He was one of Captain America’s Howling Commandos during World War 2. He was reported KIA when he was separated from the others, but in reality he was captured. He spent the next decade being tortured and mentally conditioned to follow the orders of anyone who possessed the correct phrase. The ones who took him have been using him as an assassin named the Winter Soldier ever since the end of the war. They would put him on ice between missions to extend his usefulness, and only let him stay awake as long as his mission took. Selene and I freed him, but neither of us can heal his mind.”  
“What kind of monsters would do this?” Hank asked, shocked.  
“A group Rigel and I will take care of.” Selene assured him. “They will pay for this.”  
Hank went to reply, but Charles spoke first.   
“This man…. I have never seen someone endure so much, yet still maintain who they are.”  
“Can you help him?” I asked.  
He nodded. “It will take time, but I can. Please help me transport him back to the school.”  
I moved to pick him up, but Hank beat me to it. Easily lifting the slumbering man in his arms.  
Selene opened a portal back to Charles’s office, and the four of us returned.  
“I’ll take him down to the medbay and give him some sedatives. I doubt it would be good for him to wake up before you’ve had a chance to undo some of this Charles.” Hank said.  
“Good idea.” I said. “Selene put him under a sleeping spell, but more insurance wouldn’t hurt. Be aware that he was experimented on while he was imprisoned, and he’s become enhanced as a result. You’ll likely need at least twice as much as normal.”  
Hank nodded, and carried Bucky from the room.  
“That poor man. You have my word I will do all in my power to help him.” Charles vowed.  
“Thank you Charles.” I said.  
“Now that Mr. Barnes has been seen to, I believe you offered a tour of the facilities?” Selene prompted.  
Charles’s smile returned, and he nodded. “Follow me.”

Charles spent the next few hours showing us around the various classrooms and hallways within the school. They had dedicated classes for all the staples, as well as an impressive selection of electives. School wasn’t in session at the moment, it was a Saturday, but there were still kids studying in the different rooms. Either to get ahead of the curriculum, or to catch up.  
Ah school. That is one thing I will never miss. Hated every single moment of it.  
The kids themselves had decided to make bets about who Selene and I were, a fact we knew of due to their less than impressive attempts to whisper to one another, so we had quite a few individuals walk up and ask us where we came from. The most insane one came from a young boy who asked if we were escaped convicts from Atlantis looking for refuge.  
Selene outright laughed at that one. The little boy pouted and walked off sullenly. I couldn’t decide whether I found it cute or sad.  
“And this,” Charles began as he brought us to our final destination. “is our teacher’s lounge. I believe you’ll find some familiar faces within.” The door opened, and he led us inside.  
There were a few round wooden tables set up, and each had several adults sitting at them. Of the large group, I only recognized two people.  
“Erik! Darwin!”  
“Rigel!” Erik stood up with his arms wide and pulled me into a hug. “It’s good to see you!” His hair was more grey than last I saw him, but he still moved well.  
“Rigel? Is that really you?” Darwin stood hesitantly.  
I pulled away from Eric and smiled at him. Unlike Erik, he looked exactly as he did when I last saw him. His mutant gene at work most likely.  
“It’s nice to see you again Armando. Sorry I haven’t come to visit yet.”  
He laughed and walked up to give me a hug. “You haven’t changed! At all! That’s supposed to be my thing.”  
“Perks of having hard to explain amazingly complex powers.” I said.  
Erik walked up to Selene and held his hand out. “Selene I would assume? It’s good to meet you on friendly terms.”  
She smiled, and took his hand. “Likewise. Thank you for dealing with Sebastian for me, he was a thorn I am glad has been removed.”  
Both Erik and Charles flinched at the mention of Shaw, but they seemed to recover quickly.  
“Selene, play nice.” I said with narrowed eyes.  
She just grinned at me. She was pushing buttons on purpose.  
“You’re….you’re the purple man.”  
I turned to the voice with a raised eyebrow. It was a young woman with bleached white hair, and dark skin. She seemed familiar….  
“Uh…. you may not remember me, but you saved me. I was with Angel and Psylocke, and you spared me, and stopped me from doing horrible things. I….”  
Storm. It was Storm.  
She’d grown up. When I saw her last she was barely a teenager, now she was teaching at Xavier’s school. She still had a ways to go before she became the accomplished warrior she is seen as by Marvel fans, but she was well on her way.  
I smiled at her. “Don’t mention it. I was glad I could help.”  
“Um…. I suppose I should thank you as well.” Another feminine voice hesitantly said.  
I turned to the source, and saw another young woman who looked to be around Storm’s age. She had black hair, white skin, and a great horned owl perched atop her shoulder. She seemed interesting.  
“Have we met?” I asked. I think I would’ve remembered a girl with an owl familiar.  
She smiled and looked away from my gaze. “I was much younger. You saved me, my papa, and my mama from a group of soldiers.”  
I didn’t recall doing anything like that. The only event I could think of was….  
I turned to Erik with wide eyes, and he grinned at me, then nodded.  
I turned back to the woman, and she smiled bashfully.  
“My name is Nina Gurzsky. I’m Erik’s daughter.”  
“It’s nice to meet you properly Nina.” I looked at Storm. “You too miss…?”  
“Monroe, but please call me Ororo.” She responded.  
I already knew that, but appearances were important.  
A man made from solid steel near the back of the room walked forward, and held out his hand. “It is nice to finally meet you Rigel everyone speaks well of you. My name is Piotr Rasputin.”  
I took his giant hand, and shook it. “Nice to meet you too Piotr.”  
He turned to Selene and held out his hand. “Good to meet you miss Selene.”  
Selene looked up at him, and daintily took his hand. “You’re big.”  
Piotr let out a boisterous laugh. “Perhaps you are small?”  
Selene smirked. “I like you.”  
I sighed. “Shame, you seemed like a nice guy.”  
Colossus chuckled. “It was good to meet you, but I am needed elsewhere.” He nodded to both of us, then walked out of the lounge. The room grew quiet in his wake.  
“So, Selene, Rigel, how long are you able to stay?” Charles queried, breaking the silence.  
I turned to Selene. “I don’t have anything important planned.”   
She nodded, getting my hint that there was nothing happening relatively soon. “Then I don’t see why we couldn’t spend some time here. Maybe I could teach the students to defend themselves?” She considered.  
I grimaced. “Selene, they’re kids. They haven’t done anything to warrant such punishment.”  
Selene narrowed her eyes at me. “‘Punishment’? I am an excellent teacher.”  
“I’m not refuting that, but your methods are hell.”  
“In that case, I vote no.” Darwin spoke up immediately.  
The entire room turned to him in confusion.  
He shrugged. “I learned how to fight from Rigel, and even with my mutation it was hell. If he is saying her training regiment is hell, I vote no.”  
“Agreed.” Hank said as he walked into the lounge. “Perhaps you could teach history?” He diplomatically asked Selene.  
She considered for a moment, then shrugged. “If I have a moment free, I suppose that would be acceptable.”  
“It’s settled then.” Charles said happily. “You are welcome as long as you wish.”  
“Thanks Charles.” I replied.  
Selene and I spent the rest of the day talking with Erik, Charles, Hank, Darwin, Nina, Ororo, and the other mutants. It was nice to talk to people again.


	16. 16

“Explain your reasoning to me again.” I requested.  
“There is only so much I can do alone, and the man who currently holds the position is an unqualified buffoon.” Selene responded.  
I raised an eyebrow. “And I’m not?”  
“No. You are not. Even if you weren’t the best choice for the position, I would still urge you to attempt to take it if for no other reason than to be able to better prepare for Thanos.”  
I let out a long sigh. “Love, you know how much I hate politics of any kind. If I do this, I’ll get roped into far more than I want. You may enjoy the backstabbing and maneuvering, but I’ll just find it tiresome.”  
Selene exhaled slowly. “Very well then, a compromise. You depose the current Black King, and take his position for yourself. Afterwards, I will ensure that you are free to leave the position while I manage both my position as queen and your own as king. If you truly want nothing to do with it, I will take care of it.”  
I shook my head. “No. If I’m going to do this, then I’ll actually need to do it. Otherwise I’ll be just a figurehead, and everyone will do their best to harass you into losing both positions.”  
Selene huffed. “Then what is your decision?”  
I leaned back into my chair and looked at the ceiling.  
I really didn’t want to have to deal with this. I’d have to work with people, politic my way around them, and manage more than I ever thought I’d have to manage. On the other hand, Selene was right. I still felt like I hadn’t done all that much to prepare for Thanos, and this would give me the chance to really make an impact. Hellfire had their hands in almost every major company and nation of the world. Selene was already doing what she could, but if half of Hellfire’s leadership was pushing towards the same goal, things would move much more swiftly.  
“Fine.” I bit out. “I don’t want to, but I see your point.”  
Selene smiled, and pulled me into a hug. “Thank you, lover. I will set everything up, be ready in a few days.” She gave me a peck on the cheek, then opened a portal and left me alone in our safehouse.  
I sighed.  
If nothing else, I supposed this would be interesting.

“I would like to state for the record that I’m uncomfortable.” I stated as Selene led me up to the door of an inconspicuous building.  
“Yes lover, you’ve already said so.” She replied with humor. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”  
“Remind me of everything I’m supposed to know again.” I said as we neared the door. We’d already been over this several times, but once more couldn’t hurt.  
Selene rolled her eyes, but humored me. “The current Black King is a man named Egor Ivanov. He’s high up in the Bratva, and is sinking a large portion of Hellfire’s resources into strengthening them. Like the other king and queens, he has powers, and those powers are the only reason he still holds his position as Black King. All the regular humans are too scared to challenge him because he’s so hard for them to kill. He’s a mutant with the ability to manipulate kinetic energy. Punches, kicks, knives, bullets, any type of physical attack will be useless against him. Use fire and lightning from range, and feel free to shadowport to avoid anything he throws at you. The current White Queen is Emma Frost. She worked closely with Shaw, but has spread her wings since his death at Erik’s hands. Her powers include telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to turn her skin into hardened diamond. The current White King is Benedict Kine. He recently rose to the position, and has been keeping his head down since. He is able to manipulate a target’s nervous system, but he has yet to show his limitations.”  
Again, we’d already been over this, but once more couldn’t hurt. Egor wouldn’t be too hard to deal with if it came to a fight, a lot of my attacks don’t rely on kinetic energy. I hadn’t heard of him from any Marvel media, but I still wasn’t that worried. Emma though, was more of an enigma. She shouldn’t be able to use telekinesis. There was no version of her I remember where she had anything other than her diamond skin and her telepathy. It was concerning. Then there was the fact I had never even heard of Kine in my last life, so he was a complete unknown, and unlike Egor, his power actually scared me. It sounded like he was a better version of Regent from Worm. Regent was terrifying, so a better Regent was nightmare fuel. I really didn’t like the idea of being someone’s meat puppet.  
I took one more deep breath, then nodded to Selene. “Let’s just get this over with.”  
She nodded, and walked up to the door. She knocked lightly, and the door instantly swung open. The man who opened the door stood to the side, and Selene waltzed passed him without even sparing him a glance. She was in business mode.  
I followed right behind her, and she led me through a few short halls into a large, lavishly decorated, multi-storied common room. We entered at the ground floor, and could see up to two more floors. Well, they weren’t so much floors as overlooks. They ran the length of the room’s perimeter, and had a guard rail to keep people from falling, but they didn’t seal in the lower floors. On the ground with us were several tables with people from various backgrounds sitting at them, and conversing quietly with one another. The most conspicuous table was set in an elevated corner of the room. There sat a blonde woman in a white dress I recognized as Emma Frost, a middle aged man in a grey suit with slightly greying black hair I assumed to be Benedict Kine, and a tank top wearing, muscle bound, bald russian who could only be Egor.  
Emma’s appearance surprised me. She was a key player in Shaw’s plans during the Cuban Missile crisis, and yet, she didn’t look a day over twenty. Did she not age? That was another power she shouldn’t have.  
“Wait here.” Selene quietly told me.  
I gave her a nod, and leaned against the threshold of the room.  
Selene once more didn’t so much as glance at anyone in the room, she just strode straight towards the head table.  
“Ah, Selene.” Emma said with a smile as she raised her wine glass in greeting. “We were beginning to think you had strung us along.”  
Egor grunted. “What is the point of calling meeting if you don’t show up?” He asked in a thick accent.  
“But I’m right on time.” Selene grinned like a predator.  
Kine waved his hand. “Of course, now, I would appreciate it if you would inform us why we all had to be present. I was working on something I’d prefer to get back to.”  
“I called us here to remove Egor Ivanov from his position as Black King.” Selene proclaimed without preamble.  
You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed her statement.  
Emma looked between a snarling Egor, and a stone faced Selene. “Well consider me intrigued.” She drawled. “What has poor Egor done to incite your ire?”  
“I could speak of his incompetence, his unwillingness to contribute to the organization, and his blatant waste of funds, but those are only minor inconveniences. The truth is I have a much more appropriate candidate who should take the position.” Selene replied while looking Emma in the eye, seemingly ignoring Egor in the process.  
I’m not sure I would call myself a ‘more appropriate candidate’, but I couldn’t exactly correct her right now.  
Kine’s eyes narrowed. “You want to put a puppet in the position to give yourself more power over us.”  
Selene shook her head. “Not a puppet. A partner, and would you truly lament the loss of Egor?”  
Kine looked between her and the growling russian, then shrugged. “I suppose not.”  
Egor snapped to look at Kine, but Kine was unfazed. The raging russian turned back to Selene and snarled. “You dare?! I will destroy you, and your challenger!”  
Selene grinned. “I was hoping you would say that.” She turned to the table’s other two inhabitants. “Egor has just issued a challenge, wouldn't you agree? If my candidate bests him, the position is his.”  
Kine waved a hand uncaringly. “So be it.”  
Emma ran a finger around the rim of her wine glass. “I don’t know…. I think I’d rather meet this man before I decide.” She said with a small smile. She was really enjoying the drama.  
Selene held her gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. Rigel.” She called.  
Emma froze when Selene called my name.   
She knew of me. I wasn’t sure whether I should be flattered or scared, especially since the two of us never met face to face.  
I pushed off the wall, and walked into the room. Intentionally stomping slightly so people would hear me coming. Over the years I had developed a very light step, so if I wanted to be heard I had to make an effort.  
When my first step echoed around the room, I suddenly felt the eyes of everyone present on me. The corporate and political elite sat around the room, as well as the gazes of the Kings and Queen.  
Egor looked like he wanted to strangle me, and Kine just raised an eyebrow as he looked me over, but Emma’s gaze was intense.  
The White Queen scanned over every inch of me, searching for something. I felt a faint probe attempt to worm its way into my head, and I knocked it away with my magic. I fixed Emma with a glare, and her expression morphed into a wide grin.  
“Oh Selene you naughty naughty girl.” Emma scolded as she turned back to look at the woman in question. “Consider me impressed! I look forward to working with him.”  
Egor snapped to look at her, and laughed boisterously. “You think he can kill me? I will crush him!”  
“Yes yes you’re big and strong. Do try not to bleed on the carpet.” Emma said dismissively as she stood from the table. “I’d recommend you all find a safer place to be.” Emma addressed the room, then she lifted off the ground, floated up to the first overlook, and positioned herself to get a good view of…. whatever was happening.  
Emma Frost could fly. Was that a byproduct of her telekinesis, or something else? Either way, she shouldn’t have it. Curiouser and curiouser.  
The room exploded into motion as people seated all over stood and began to sprint for one of the two staircases in the room.  
Kine just lazily walked behind the panicked mass. I was getting the sense it was hard to faze the man.  
Selene turned to me. Remember, She said in my head. you have to completely humiliate him. Do not end the fight quickly. Prove to everyone here you are leagues above their former King.  
Don’t worry. I sent back. I’ll put on a show.  
Without letting any piece of our conversation show on her face, Selene flew up, and landed next to Emma to watch.  
Soon, only Egor and I were on the lower floor.  
He slowly stood from the table, and began to stalk towards me. “I will kill you little man.” He threatened as he popped his neck and knuckles. “You should run while you still live.”  
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick around. This might be fun.”  
Egor fell into a boxing stance. “So be it.” He charged towards me. I let him come, standing with my hands clasped behind me.  
He roared as he closed the gap, and threw a punch at me.   
I fell into my shadow, avoiding the hit, and appeared behind him. He began to look around frantically, so I patted him on the shoulder to let him know where I was.  
I’ll give the man credit, his reaction speed was something else. The moment I touched him, an elbow was rocketing towards my face. I leaned back, and kicked off his leg to give myself some distance.  
“I thought you were going to kill me?” I taunted.  
Egor exhaled through his nose, and picked up a flower vase that served as a centerpiece on one of the tables.  
Remembering Selene’s advice, I began casting a spell, and was ready the moment he threw the vase. It was moving much faster than it should have, but it didn’t matter.  
I held up my hand, and the vase flew through the portal I raised. A moment later, the same vase smashed into the back of Egor’s head, spilling water and pulverized flower petals all over him.  
He took the blow without flinching, likely his power at work, but I wasn’t trying to inflict damage. If I wanted him dead, he would’ve been dead the moment we started ‘fighting’. Neither Selene or I fight fair, so I probably would’ve just stabbed a blade of energy through his eye the moment he stood up and called it good. Unfortunately, I needed to put on a show. Which means I needed to toy with the guy. A flower bath was sufficiently humiliating if the quiet chuckles from above were anything to go by.  
Egor roared in rage, and ran straight at me.  
I feigned a yawn as he got close, and held up another hand as he threw a punch at me. His fist sailed straight through the portal I raised in front of it, and he ended up uppercutting himself when the paired portal opened beneath his chin.  
Egor flew a solid three feet into the air, and came down on top of a table, destroying it on impact. When he sat up, he actually looked dazed.  
I didn’t expect that to hurt him. “Are you not immune to your own attacks? It’s a wonder no one has figured that out yet.”  
Egor’s eyes widened, then narrowed in uncontrollable rage. He forced himself to his feet and charged again.  
He wasn’t the brightest fellow was he? He’s tried this how many times now?  
Rather than trying a fancy portal trick again, I held a hand out, and created over a dozen bands of violet energy. I sent them forward, and they wrapped themselves around Egor’s body in various places.  
He tried to slip free of them by manipulating kinetic energy, and his eyes shot wide when they held. These were mystical bindings. They gave physics the middle finger merely by existing.  
I wrapped each of his limbs up with the bands, and sent a few around his torso to keep him in place.  
“Let’s see if you can hurt yourself when you aren’t trying to hurt someone else.” I said in a calm, mad scientist experimenting fashion.  
Egor’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but I slammed his own fist into his nose with my bands before he could talk.  
Sure enough, when I pulled the hand back his nose was both broken and bleeding.  
I whistled. “I’m genuinely curious, how could no one have figured this out by now? This is a serious weakness to an otherwise impressive power.”   
I kept manipulating my bands, and everyone above watched as Egor beat himself senseless. He punched himself in the face, kneed himself in the gut, and simply gave himself the beating of a lifetime.  
Is this enough? I sent telepathically to Selene. I legitimately don’t know if there’s anything more humiliating than the ‘stop hitting yourself’ trick.  
This is plenty. She replied, and she sounded overjoyed. Now you simply need to kill him.  
“Well Egor,” I said aloud as I let his arms fall down. The man was a bloody mess. “this has been fun, but I think it’s about time to wrap it up.”  
He opened his mouth to speak again, but I shadowported behind him and shoved a violet blade of energy into his throat, effectively cutting him off.  
I let the blade and the bands fade, and Egor fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.  
I looked up towards Emma, Selene, and Kine. “So?”  
“Congrats kid. You’re the king.” Kine said distractedly. “If that’s all, I’m leaving.” He exited through a door hidden by a bookshelf.  
Emma started chuckling warmly. “He just referred to you as ‘kid’. How amusing.” She floated up over the railing, and landed in front of me. “You’re supposed to be dead.”  
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”  
She hmm’d. “Yes. Selene reported she killed you after your scuffle to appease the members of Hellfire that wanted blood for Shaw, and yet, here you stand. With Selene no less. How exactly did this come about?”  
“That, Emma, is none of your business.” Selene answered for me as she landed next to us. “I take it you hold no objections?”  
Emma smiled at her. “Of course not. Egor was an imbecile with an over inflated ego.” She turned back to me, and looked me up and down. “This is much better.”  
Selen growled warningly. “Hands. Off.”  
Emma’s eyes widened in surprise, as she looked between the two of us. “So that’s how it came about. Interesting….” She offered me one last smile. “Welcome to Hellfire, Black King. I look forward to working with you.” She turned around and left the room through another hidden door.  
Selene turned to me, and smiled. “You did well. Come.” She waved her hand, and a portal opened. The two of us strode through, and found ourselves in the bedroom of one of our safehouses.   
The moment the portal closed behind us, Selene jumped me. She wrapped her arms around me and began hungrily kissing me. She pulled back with a grin, and pulled me towards the bed.  
“You deserve a reward my King.” She said in a sultry voice.  
I grinned. “Whatever my Queen desires.”


	17. 17

“We need to regroup!” A black haired teenage boy with a strange set of goggles on his face yelled.  
“I can’t! I’m stuck!” A girl who had somehow had a wall wrapped around her cried in panic.  
“Just hold on!” A young woman with fiery red hair called back. “I’ll get you out!”  
I stepped in front of the redhead. “Will you?” I drawled.  
The young woman’s face paled as she looked up at me. She held her hands up, and a storm of debris charged towards me.  
I grinned. I wouldn’t even have to use magic to avoid this.  
I gracefully danced in and out of Jean’s tornado of brick, metal, and stone. When it was over, I was completely untouched.  
“How?!” A blue-skinned boy with a spear-tipped tail wailed in agony.  
“Kirk. Get Rogue out of the wall. She’s our only chance. We’ll hold him back.” The boy with the strange eyewear ordered as he stepped up beside the redhead.  
The blue skinned boy nodded, then disappeared with a snap hiss.  
“So, hand to hand or powers? I’ll use whatever you guys use.” I said lazily.  
The boy reached up to his goggles, but stopped himself. He and the redhead shared a pained grimace, then fell into fighting stances.  
I raised an eyebrow. “Hand to hand? Really?”  
“It’ll hurt less.” Jean admitted quietly.  
I let out a full blown laugh at that. “Fair enough. Never let it be said I’m not a man of my word.” I fell into my own stance, and motioned them forward.  
They charged as a single unit, doing their best to separate so they were coming at me from different sides.  
I didn’t give them the chance.  
I ran forward with a grin, and launched a kick into Scott’s stomach.  
He wheezed as the air was knocked out of him, and he hit the ground hard.  
I spun around to face Jean just in time to dodge a brick headed straight towards my head.   
I smiled at her. “You cheated. I approve. Never fight fair against a stronger foe.” Impressed I may have been, but she was still going to lose.   
I opened a portal underneath her, and she fell through with a yelp, landing in a heap next to her ally.  
“That being said,” I continued. “if you’re going to try to finish the fight with one blow, make sure it works.”  
“It did.” A soft voice says from behind me.  
I sighed as I dodged the black-haired girl with a single white lock’s hand. “Rogue, honey, never announce your presence like that. If you’re going to talk, do it after you’ve dealt with the problem.” I already knew she was there, but the lesson was still valid.  
I flicked my fingers towards her, and her eyes rolled back as she came under the effects of my sleep spell.  
“Four down. Four to go.” I said contentedly.  
“What?” Kirk squawked in shock. “You only got three of us!”  
I smirked at him. “I know what I said kid.”  
There was a dull thud as another black haired girl collapsed the moment she walked out of a wall. Kitty lay unconscious right next to her friend.  
“Now!” A male voice yelled.  
A chain coated in electricity appeared out of nowhere, and began to wrap itself around me.   
I let it connect, and I began to yawn as it started to shock me. After taking regular lightning bolts from Selene, this was nothing. Selene could harness actual lightning, this was a mild shock by comparison.  
“How is he still standing?!” A girl cried out in disbelief.  
“I make sure to eat my vegetables, and drink my milk.” I responded dryly.  
“Screw this!” The same girl yelled.  
“Ellie, wait!” Another girl cired, but Negasonic Teenage Warhead was having none of it.  
She jumped out from cover, and ran straight towards me, her power charging up with every passing moment.  
She let out a battle cry as she got closer, and I just smirked as she fell through a portal she didn’t see.  
A loud boom echoed around the area as her power detonated, and two voices began to scream as they were thrown through the air.  
I watched a boy made of ice, and a girl with a lightning chain scream a little longer, then moved.  
I opened a portal in front of each of them, and the two flew through them right into each other, falling the last two feet to the ground.  
“You asshole!” Negasonic yelled as she charged me again.  
“Language!” I chirped, and I could've sworn I heard two full grown men laughing at me.  
Ellie just got even more pissed, and stopped next to a destroyed car. She exploded, and the car flew straight towards me.  
I tilted my head as it approached, and decided to showboat a bit.   
Without taking my hands out of my pockets, I jumped up, and rolled until I was parallel with the ground. I flew in through one of the car’s windows, and exited out the other side through another one. I landed on my feet, hands still in my pockets, facing Ellie.  
“Nice try kid.” I said with a smile, then made a finger gun at her and said, “Bang!”  
She collapsed as she came under my sleep spell.  
Heh, let’s have some fun with this last one.  
I slowly turned to a slack jawed Nightcrawler with a predatory grin. “One. Left.” I made an illusion of snapping my neck to be parallel with the ground.  
Kirk made a noise halfway between a shriek and a whine as he teleported away.  
I felt for his destination with my magic, and shadowported behind where he would appear.  
He snapped into reality, and looked around where I was with frantic desperation. His breaths were coming in huffs and puffs.  
I stepped up beside him, and began swinging my head back and forth. “Do you see him?” I asked in feigned panic.  
“No.” Kirk replied curtly without looking at me. “I think he may have….” His eyes went wide, and he slowly turned to look at me.  
I gathered my shadow around me, and turned to face him. My entire form swam in inky blackness before his eyes. I cast some minor illusions, and soon a blank white creature garbed in a well tailored suit stared blankly towards Kirk. I cast more illusions, and large black tendrils emerged from my back to flow in a nonexistent Breeze. Nightcrawler trembled as he beheld the presence of Slenderman.  
Kirk screamed like a little girl.  
I poked him on the forehead with a chuckle, and gently laid him down as I dropped my illusions.  
I looked around the destroyed street, and saw eight teenagers unconscious on the ground.  
I turned towards an overturned fire truck and proudly declared, “I win!”  
“Simulation terminated.” A feminine sounding robotic voice declared, and the destroyed street morphed back into the X-Men’s Danger Room.  
A door set into the wall slid open, and two figures entered from where the fire truck was.  
Hank laughed boisterously as he looked around. “Thanks Rigel. They deserved this.”  
“What did they even do?” Alex asked Hank.  
Hank’s smile disappeared, and he turned to Alex with a deadly serious expression. “They glitter bombed me. Pink. Sparkly. Glitter.”  
Alex and I both winced.  
Yep. Glitter plus fur would definitely incite my ire too.  
“Well, anytime you need them to learn a lesson, feel free to call me.” I said.  
Alex raised an eyebrow at me. “Ya’ know, when I used to say you were a sadist, I was just joking around. Now though? I seriously think you’re a sadist.”  
I scoffed. “Please. You were too much of an ass to joke around.”  
Alex went to refute me, but stopped himself. Instead, he shrugged. “Fair enough.”  
I laughed, and clapped him on the shoulder.  
Alex was looking good. He’d landed a normal job, but still stopped by the school from time to time. Both to help out, and to give his younger brother a hard time. It was nice to see things going well for him.  
“Alright. Debriefing time. Can you wake them up?” Hank asked.  
I nodded, and snapped my fingers.   
Eight young mutants began to groan as they woke up simultaneously.  
“Wha...what happened?” Kitty asked the room.  
“We lost.” Bobby replied as he climbed to his feet. “I didn’t even do anything.”  
“At least you won’t have nightmares.” Kirk said weakly from where he lay staring at the ceiling. “That was terrifying.”  
Hank clapped his hands together. “So kids! What did we learn?”  
“No more glitter.” They groaned in unison.  
Hank smiled. “Perfect, now let’s get upstairs so everyone else can chew you out.”  
The kids groaned, but slowly pulled themselves to their feet.  
Alex walked over to Scott and began to give his brother a hard time.  
Our group left the lower levels, and emerged back up into the school proper. We walked through the halls, and filed into a conference room where several other adults who had watched the exercise on the cameras were waiting.  
There were Eight in total. Charles, Erik, Storm, Piotr, Nina, Angel, and two more.   
The first was a much more alive looking Bucky Barnes. He’s come far from the broken husk Selene and I pulled out of that Hydra base. He was smiling, and was able to avoid jumping at shadows. He wasn’t one-hundred percent yet, but he was making steady progress.  
Thanks in no small part to the final person in the room. One James Howlett, otherwise known as Logan, otherwise known as Wolverine.   
Yeah, I was shocked the first time I saw him here, especially since his memory was completely intact. After I got over my shock, I realized I did this. By killing Stryker before he really made a name for himself, I stopped his experiments. Torching Trask Industries into an unrecognizable pile of ash probably helped as well. People weren’t as willing to experiment on mutants with the threat of Selene and I hanging over their heads.  
Logan doesn’t have his adamantium, but that’s for the best. It won’t inevitably kill him, and he still has his memories, which let him help Bucky.  
When Hank first approached him, he told him to, ‘go fuck yourself’, but once Hank name dropped Bucky Barnes, Logan came around really quick. Logan was another one of Captain America’s Howling Commandos, so he and Bucky had been through war together. He came to Xavier’s to help his struggling comrade, and helped train the kids on the side.  
Angel smirked at me. “It’s a lot more fun to watch that. Hell, I’m even on the other end of it sometimes.”  
“Language.” Logan and Bucky chirped in unison.  
I smiled back at Angel. “That just means I did my job well.” I wiped a fake tear from my eye. “It warms my heart to see a former student inciting such terror in her own students.”  
Angel had also been doing better. She’d recovered from her injury, and had taken up a teaching position at the school. She didn’t really have anything she specialized in, she just picked up whatever slack was needed, and helped any of the kids who needed it. I think she was just trying to make sure they had the family growing up that she never did.  
Angel rolled her eyes, and the rest of the room just ignored me.  
“What did you do wrong?” Erik asked the kids to get everyone back on topic.  
They all flinched under his scrutiny.  
“Um...I got knocked out?” Kitty guessed, and the adults in the room began to groan at the less than insightful reply.  
I just laughed. This was their problem. I’d only agreed to knock the kids down a peg, not stay for the debrief.  
“Good luck kiddies!” I called as I walked out of the room.  
The adults began to go over the fight frame by frame, but I just kept walking. I needed to find someone.  
I dodged around students walking through the halls, and eventually came to the room I was looking for.  
“But that’s not what the book says!” I hear a boy yell through the door.  
I smirked.  
This should be interesting.  
I quietly opened the door, and settled in to watch the fireworks.  
“I am aware that is not what the book says. The book is wrong.” An authoritative female voice replied with certainty.  
“But it takes all of its data from primary sources! It can’t be wrong!” A young girl backs up her classmate.  
The woman at the front of the class fixed the girl with an unimpressed stare. “I can say with absolute certainty that the book. Is. Wrong.”  
“Oh yeah? How would you know?!” Another boy called out.  
At this point, I couldn’t take it anymore. I lost it.  
The entire room turned to me as I laughed at the top of my lungs.  
“What’s so funny?” A young girl asked.  
I got my laughter under control, and faced her. “Kid. She was there.” I say as I motion to an amused Selene. “If she says the book is wrong, the book is wrong.”  
“Bwahuh?” Is her intelligent response.  
“But...but that’s impossible!” One of the boys speaks up. “Cleopatra was born in 69 BC!”  
Selene just raised an eyebrow at the kid. “Yes. She was.”  
Several jaws dropped throughout the room as they tried to comprehend the bomb that was just dropped on them.  
“Bullshit.” One of the older students said. “There’s no way you’re that old.” She finished.  
Selene shrugged. “Looks can be deceiving. I am thousands of years old. Logan, one of your combat instructors, is several hundred years old, and Rigel” She motioned to me. “is over a century old himself.”  
I go to refute her, then stop myself.   
Both lives included, I was over a century old.  
“Holy crap.” I said breathlessly. “When did that happen?”  
Selene turned to me in surprise. “You didn’t realize?”  
I shook my head. “We’ve kind of been focusing on other things.”  
She nodded agreeably. “That is true.”  
“Okay. I am calling so much bullshit.” The same girl said.  
I shrugged. “Believe us or not, it doesn’t really matter. If you want to talk to Logan about it, ask him what it was like to serve with Captain America.”  
The few jaws that weren’t already on the floor join the rest as the kids connect gruff, impersonable Logan with Captain freaking America.  
“Love, I do believe it’s time to go.” I said to Selene.  
Selene nodded, then turned to the kids. “Be sure to do your homework. Or don’t. I won’t be here to check it.”   
The two of us walked back to the conference room to say a quick goodbye to everyone, and asked them to say hi to Darwin for us. He was out of town with his new girlfriend. I’d yet to meet the lucky lady, but I was happy Darwin found someone.  
That done, the two of us portaled back to one of our safehouses.

(Logan: A while ago)

I was sitting in a bar minding my own business when the weirdest man I’ve ever smelled walked in. I threw a look over my shoulder, and saw a man with blue fur standing in the doorway.  
I blinked to make sure I wasn’t crazy, then shrugged and went back to my beer.  
I’d seen weirder. Hell, I was weirder.  
The man walked up to the bar and sat down next to me. I tried to ignore him, but that idea went out the window when he started talking.  
“James Howlett?” He asked, looking right at me.  
I hadn’t used that name in years. I didn’t know how this guy knew it, but it couldn’t mean good things for me.  
“Who’s asking?” I grunted.  
The furball smiled. “My name is Hank McCoy. I am close friends with a man by the name of Charles Xavier who runs a school for young mutants. I was wondering if….”  
“Go fuck yourself.” I cut in, and took another swig.  
No way in hell was I getting roped into being a teacher, and for all I knew this was just some excuse to try to strap me down and cut me open. Wouldn’t be the first time.  
The furball frowned. “Apologies, but….”  
“What part of ‘go fuck yourself’ don’t you get bub?” I interrupted. “I’m trying to finish my drink, so kindly fuck off.”  
The furball’s blue eyebrows furrowed at me. “Would you happen to know a James Buchannon Barnes?”  
My grip on my mug tightened down so much I nearly crushed the damn thing. I slowly turned to growl at the bastard. “You’ve got a lot of fuckin’ nerve bub. Don’t ever say that name again.”  
It was one thing to disrespect me, and ruin my day. It was another thing entirely to drop that bomb on me out of nowhere. I was the only Howling Commando left, and I sure as hell didn’t need to be reminded of that fact by this asshole bringing up the name of a friend I watched fall to his death.  
The furball sighed. “I’ve gone about this the wrong way. I’ll just be upfront. Bucky is alive.”  
I threw my mug down and grabbed the man’s throat as I stood up. “You’ve got five seconds to leave before I really get pissed.”  
The furball met my gaze evenly. “Bucky was experimented on by Arnim Zola before he ever joined the Commandos. The entire team used to poke fun at Steve’s obsession over ‘language’. Bucky once asked you if you’d ever used your claws to grill pork chops.”  
My grip on his throat got looser and looser as he continued talking. Eventually, I let him go.  
“Talk fast.” I growled.  
He did.

I closed the car door behind me, and took a look around.  
Why were there so many kids here? Shouldn’t they be with their parents?  
“Follow me.” The furball said, and I grunted as I followed him.  
“This better not be a trap. I’ll tear my way out of this place if it is.”  
He shook his head. “It is not a trap, we need your help. Bucky needs something or someone familiar around to help him adjust. You can help him.”  
I didn’t answer.  
A lot of the kids ran away from me as the furball led me through the halls, but I didn’t particularly care. I was only here for one reason.  
The furball pulled open a door, and let me walk inside.  
There was a bed, TV, dresser, and desk in the room. Sitting on the bed staring out the window, was the spitting image of Bucky.  
He turned to look at me as I walked in, and his eyes went wide. “Jimmy?” He asked hesitantly.  
I wasn’t willing to trust this yet. I’d seen what mutants could do, and it wasn’t too far fetched to think one could wear Bucky’s face.  
“What was the first date Peggy and Steve went on?” I asked gruffly.  
The public story would have you believe Steve and Peggy were star crossed lovers. You’d have had to be there to know what really happened. Steve was a bumbling idiot, Peggy wouldn't take the initiative, and they both waited too long. They never got together before Steve died.  
Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Steve and Peggy never went on any dates. There was that one time she tried to kill him when he got his shield, but that was more her being pissed off than anything else.”  
My eyes widened.  
I…. This was real?  
“Bucky?” I said hesitantly.  
He looked between me and the furball. “Jimmy, are you really here?”  
I walked forward and pulled him into a hug. “I’m here brother. I’m here.”  
He hesitantly returned the hug, and started to cry.  
The furball closed the door behind him as he left us alone.


	18. 18

“Why am I here?” I questioned the universe.  
“Because I asked nicely.” Selene said with a victorious grin. “Now come. We’ll be late.”  
I sighed, and followed after her.  
I had no idea how, but she convinced me to go to the theater. My spine tingled unnaturally just thinking about it. I absolutely abhorred the theater. It wasn’t the shows themselves. There were some I didn’t like, but that was true for every medium of entertainment in existence. There are actually quite a few shows I genuinely enjoy. No, the reason I hated the theater was the people.  
I had no idea what it was, but for some reason going to the theater made everyone don their snooty, holier than thou, ‘I am an asshole’ caps. God forbid you sneeze, or you’ll be berated by every single person in the venue. There was just so much entitlement surrounding going to the theater. Why couldn’t you just go and enjoy the show? Why did I have to wear this stupid looking tuxedo that’s impossible to move in? Why wasn’t I allowed to get up to go to the bathroom? Why did I have to sit all proper-like? Someone please explain it to me.  
Selene, sadist that she is, was thoroughly enjoying my discomfort. She ‘acquired’ the tickets for this from someone in Hellfire and decided it was a fantastic way to spend our Saturday night.  
It wasn’t like I was planning to make some potions tonight or anything.  
A light slap on my shoulder pulled me back to the waking world.  
“What?” I asked Selene.  
“You weren’t here, so I fixed the issue.”  
“Can we leave at the intermission?” I pleaded.  
Selene sighed. “If you would stop insisting that this evening will be dreadful, you might just have fun. Now come. Our seats are this way.”  
I took a deep breath.  
I didn’t need to worry about it. Everything would be fine. It was just one night. This was for Selene. I could make it through this for Selene.  
I sighed, and followed after her.  
I found my seat next to her, and tilted my head in confusion. “We have box seats?”  
She sighed and placed her hand against her forehead. “Yes. I said so multiple times. Were you not too busy lamenting the travesty that had befallen you, you may have heard me. Now sit down and enjoy yourself.”  
I sat down next to her. “You make it sound so easy to have fun.”  
She sent me a death glare.   
I sighed. “Fine. I’ll make an effort.”  
The death glare disappeared. “Wonderful!” She scooted closer to me and laid her head on my shoulder. A content smile on her face.  
I just got played didn’t I? Fun.  
The curtains were pulled, and the show began.  
Oh, I didn’t realize we were going to see Phantom. Why didn’t she say…. she probably did.  
The show progressed, and against all odds, I actually found I was enjoying myself. Miracles do happen. Actually, it might just be that Selene and I had private seating. I didn’t have to deal with anyone ruffling their feathers at me for daring to use the armrest attached to my seat.  
Naturally, it was right when I started to have fun that everything turned sour.  
“Go away.” I said without turning around. “Can’t you see we’re trying to watch a play here?”  
“I’ll only be sharing your box for a few minutes.” A voice I had heard in a past life said from behind us.  
“I’ll give you this one chance because I’m in a good mood.” Selene said without moving from her place sitting in my lap. She had moved out of her seat and onto me not ten minutes after the play started. “Leave, or I become very unhappy.”  
“I think I’ll take my chances.” A dark skinned, bald man in a trench coat replied as he walked around into our eyeline. “Is this seat taken?” He casually asked while motioning to Selene’s chair.  
“Yes.” Selene and I said at the same time.  
“Perfect.” The man in the eyepatch said as he plopped down next to us.  
Well, he certainly had balls.  
Selene started to growl at him, and the temperature around us dropped. “You’re ruining my night. Leave.” She warned.  
“Love, if he’s here then the theater is probably full of agents. The actors are probably agents. He’s not going to leave until he gives his speech.” I said in exasperation.  
The man quirked an eyebrow. “You know who I am?”  
“Yep. Now make your pitch and leave. We’ve got better things to do.” I said dismissively. I really didn’t want to talk to this man for extended periods of time. The mere fact that he both knew about us and could track us down was worrying. I didn’t need to add conversing with him to my list of problems.  
“If that’s how you want to play it, I’ll play along.” The man leans forward, and his single eye narrows at us. “We know who you two are, and we have serious reservations about letting you run free.”  
Selene snorted. “You can’t ‘let’ us do anything young man. Get to the point before I tire of this conversation.”  
“Fine.” The man ground out. Getting testy was he? “I’m here to see if the two of you would be interested in working with us. You’d get resources, backup, training if you wanted it, and a clean slate.”  
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Why would we want any of those things?”  
The man gave me a deadpan stare, then reached into his jacket.  
Neither Selene nor I reacted. If he wanted to pull a weapon, the second we saw it he’d be dead.  
The man pulled out a bundle of newspapers, and held them out to us. Most of the papers were old, but a few of them were more recent.  
The most notable three were the one with the picture of Selene and I fighting atop the ocean during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the one where I was flying through the air fighting a young girl who could control the weather, and the one where Selene and I were standing with Hank, Erik, and Charles as Hank displayed his newly awarded nobel prize. All the pictures brought back good memories, but that last one was especially potent.  
“Hmm, who is this beautiful man?” Selene purred as she looked at my picture from when we fought atop the ocean.  
“You can look, but do not touch.” I commented as I looked over Selene’s pictures. “Remember love, you’re spoken for.”  
Selene pressed into me. “Don’t worry lover, he’s far too young for my tastes. Maybe if he had some time to mature.”  
“Ahem.”  
“Oh, you’re still here?” Selene asked the man holding the newspapers.  
“Yes.” He replied dryly.  
“You can remedy that at any time. You do know that right?” I questioned.  
The man ignored my quip. “We know who you are, and….”  
“Just what are you implying?” Selene asked innocently. “Do you truly believe us to be the people in those pictures? Ha! Why, we’d have to be over fifty years old! As you can see, we're both far too young for that. It seems as if you have the wrong couple. Don’t worry, it happens to everyone. Feel free to leave now.” She turned her attention back to the still ongoing play.  
The man narrowed his eye. “Then allow me to speak in hypotheticals. Hypothetically if it was your job to keep the world safe from crazy people with superpowers, and you found two people who have their fingers in every major event from the last half century, and these people haven’t aged a day in fifty years, and they happen to be at the head of the Illuminati, what would you do?”  
“Leave them to enjoy the show in peace.” Selene answers without turning to look away from the stage.  
“What I would do,” The man continued as if Selene hadn’t spoken. “would be to establish a rapport with them, and maybe find a way to work with them. Because hypothetically I would have read the reports on these individuals, and seen what they’ve done.” He paused for a moment to build suspense.   
I just raised an eyebrow at him.  
He ignored me, and continued on. “Droughts ended when it was scientifically impossible for them to end, sand turning into fertile soil, a tsunami stopped, two immortal psychopaths killed with next to no casualties. Those seem like the kind of people who would be good friends to have, even taking into account their current liaisons. Hypothetically.”  
I wasn’t sure how he knew about all that, I was sure Selene and I had covered our tracks very well whenever we went on our little humanitarian missions, but I certainly wasn’t going to just hand him any answers.  
“Was I right about the actors being agents?” I asked conversationally. Maybe I shouldn’t be goading him this much, but it was just so fun!  
The man sighed, and gave some sort of signal with his hand.  
All motion in the theater ceased. The actors stopped acting, and the viewers stopped viewing. Everyone began to steadily file out of the venue.  
Ha! I was right!  
“Before you were just ruining my evening.” Selene fumed angrily. “Now you’ve ruined it. Lover, take me away from here before I kill the director of SHIELD.”  
“Yes, love.” I waved my hand and opened a portal which Selene angrily strode through.  
I stood to follow her, but turned to give a parting remark to Nick Fury. “Just a hypothetical heads up from a hypothetical ally. Hypothetically Hercules failed his second labor. Have fun with that!” I walked through the portal as Fury’s one eye went wide.  
Let him stew on that one. Serves him right.  
“Lover. This is not where I want to be right now.” Selene fumed on the other side of the portal.  
“If I brought us home, you would just brood the rest of the night, so I brought us here to have fun.”  
“I do not enjoy waterfalls as much as you do. I’ve never been able to determine what it is you see in them.”  
“Well, for one thing, you can do this.”  
I shoved her off the cliff face and forced the winds away from her so she wouldn’t be able to fly away. She landed in the water with a loud splash.  
I started laughing, then panicked as a purple band of energy wrapped around my torso. I was unceremoniously yanked off the cliff and pulled beneath the water.  
I surfaced with a gasp, and came face to face with an irate Selene. “My dress is ruined. How was this supposed to….mwh?”  
I closed the distance between us and kissed her.  
She pulled away. “Rigel! This is not….mhw?”  
I kissed her again.  
She pulled away again. “Rigel! I just want to….oh fuck it.” She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me.  
Her dress fell away. My tuxedo wasn’t far behind.

“So what do you think of waterfalls now?” I asked Selene as I ran my fingers through her dry hair. Magic was useful.  
“Hmm, I suppose I can see the appeal. Not as enjoyable as watching you squirm in the theater, but an experience in its own right.” She rolled onto her back to look up at the night sky. She let out a sigh as she viewed the stars. “I suppose we’ll have to purge Hellfire of SHIELD’s spies. I would hate for a repeat performance of….”  
“Shh.” I shh’d her. “We can deal with all that later. Just relax for now.”  
She groaned in false protest, but cuddled closer to me. “Thank you, lover.” She said quietly as she drifted off to sleep.  
I smiled. “You’re welcome.”   
I kissed her forehead, and followed her into my own slumber.


	19. 19

“Well this is certainly unexpected.” I comment as Selene and I watch the news.  
She turned to me with a raised eyebrow. “You didn’t predict this?”  
I shook my head. “You already know I have no idea which version of marvel we’re in, but it models the MCU and the X-Men movie universe. These guys were never a factor in either.”  
On the screen before us, a panicked reporter was standing in front of a battle taking place in New York City. A man in silver-hued metal armor and a green cloak floated above the city and fired bolts of lightning downward into the streets. Four figures wearing blue and black worked together to fight him. A blonde woman who was stripping for some reason, a black haired man whose limbs stretched to unnatural lengths, a man who could light himself on fire and fly, and a man who looked like a walking rock monster.  
“They are horrendously inexperienced.” Selene commented as the rock man accidentally knocked down a building trying to dodge a lightning bolt.  
“This is likely their first fight.” I defended them. “In time, they could become great allies.”  
“Then what do you wish to do? It’s clear they are losing. Would you rather aid them or let them fight their own battles?”  
I thought it over for a moment.  
Selene was right in that they had little to no idea what they were doing, but they were figuring it out as they went. If we jumped in and fixed their problem they wouldn’t gain much from this fight. On the other hand, they gained nothing, and we lost much, if the four of them were killed.  
“I think we should go there in case we need to step in, but not interfere otherwise. They can learn a lot from this fight.” I responded.  
“Very well.” Selene waved her hand, and the two of us walked through her portal. It let us out into an alley, and the two of us cast several illusions over ourselves to hide our presence.  
After sensing around the area, I was able to confirm that the few civilians who were still here were either fleeing in wild directions, or the idiot cameraman and reporter. If they got themselves killed trying to advance their career, that was on them.   
Selene and I flew up to the roof to our right, and settled in to watch the exchange.  
“RICHARDS! DOOM WILL DESTROY YOU!” The man in the metal mask roared as he fired more lightning at the stretchy guy.  
The stretchy guy, Reed Richards, pulled himself out of the lightning’s path, and ducked behind a building for cover.  
Did he just refer to himself in the third person? Selene asked in my head.  
Yes. He does that.  
I haven’t encountered a superiority complex like his since the Eqyptian pharaohs. Judging by how they ruled, it isn’t a good idea to leave this man alive.  
I agree. I thought back. There are some versions of him that are downright terrifying. In one version he even went on to take over the whole of the multiverse, and set himself up as the one true God.  
Selene was silent for a moment.  
Yes. She finally replied. Whether the others win or not, we are definitely killing him. I do not want to even risk such an enemy rising.  
We’ll take care of him. I wasn’t too interested in letting Doom ascend either. Better to kill him now since he had only just awakened his power. If the Fantastic Four could take him though, it would be good for their confidence.  
The blue and black spandex wearing heroes regrouped, and seemed to be setting up to enact some sort of plan.  
“Hey bucket head!” A man coated in ever burning flame yelled as he flew up to the green cloaked Doom. “Take this!” The Human Torch threw his arms forward and a torrent of napalm spewed forth.  
Doom growled, and put his arms out towards the liquid fire. A crackling shield of energy appeared, and the napalm spilt against it. Running harmlessly around Doom and into the surrounding buildings.  
“Johnny stop!” The Invisible Woman cried, though Selene and I could both sense where she was, and even if we couldn’t, she gave herself away with her shout. She’ll need to work on that.  
“Now!” Reed Richards yelled, and stretched himself across the entire length of the street, pulling himself into a large tarp.  
“It’s clobberin time!” The rock man yelled as he jumped up and onto Reed. Reed’s body fell towards the group, then snapped back up. Propelling the stone man into the sky like a trampoline.  
This was their plan? Selene asked dryly in my head. They have never even witnessed a true fight if they think that will actually work.  
Sure enough, all Doom had to do to unravel the Fantastic Four’s preparation was to fly four feet to his right. The Thing sailed by, grasping ineffectively towards Doom as he fell through the roof into an appliance store.  
I couldn’t help but sigh as I face-palmed.  
That was just…. I don’t even know how to classify my feelings on that.  
Be ready in case we have to step in. I communicated to Selene via telepathy. They’re doing much worse than I thought they would.  
I am already prepared. I shall step in if any of them find themselves to be in true danger.  
The Thing pulled himself out of the wreckage of the store, and ran back over to Reed. Johnny Blaze joined them, and the three started talking hurriedly to each other.  
“DO NOT IGNORE DOOM!” Doom angled both his arms towards the trio, and a storm of electricity flew towards them. The group was saved as a shimmering dome of silver energy appeared around them.  
“Hurry!” Susan Storm pleaded with them as her invisibility faded, leaving her visible, and naked, in the middle of the street.  
Had she not figured out how to turn her clothing invisible yet? Or did she have to make a special suit for that? I didn’t know. I had never known the answer either, so a recall spell wouldn’t help me.   
Doom levitated closer to Susan’s shield, and began cackling madly as he continued his assault. “HAHAHAHAHA! DOOM WILL END YOU!”  
Can I kill him yet? Selene asked, sounding extremely irritated.  
Let’s give them one more chance, then yes. The man’s really starting to piss me off too. I could appreciate a healthy amount of theatrics, but this guy was just too much. Just watch for the cameras if we have to go in.  
At this point, I don’t care about them. SHIELD is already aware of us, as is Hydra, and anyone else with a brain. Let them film us.  
She had a point.  
“Now Susan!” Reed yelled.  
Susan Storm let out a battle cry, and the dome of energy around her condensed into a thin blade that she whipped towards Doom.  
Doom was forced to swerve to the side to avoid it. The torrent of energy cut off as his attention was pulled away from maintaining it.  
Johnny Blaze rocketed into the sky, and flew up above Doom. He began strafing over the man, blanketing him in fire with each pass.  
Doom rolled over in mid air to face upwards, and erected a hasty energy barrier to protect himself from the flame. The fire didn’t harm him, but he was forced lower to the ground with each pass. He was also distracted.  
Reed Richards tied his legs around a lamp post, then The Thing threw him into the air. His legs stayed attached to the pole, and he only barely made it high enough to wrap his arms around Doom’s waist before the tension in his body snapped him back to the ground.  
Doom let out a very unkingly squawk as he was slammed down to the ground with Reed. Before he could recover, he was body slammed by a large man made entirely from rock.  
Ben Grimm began to wail on Doom. The ground shook each time his tire size fists fell.  
Surprisingly though, Doom took little to no damage from the assault. I wasn’t sure if it was thanks to his armor, or some minor toughness power, but he was able to weather the assault. Weather it so well in fact, that he was able to counterattack.  
“YOU WILL FALL TO DOOM!!!” He yelled, and a storm of electrical energy erupted from him, blowing Ben away. Doom floated back to his feet, and the air around him began to crackle with energy.  
There. Their final attempt failed. I’m killing him. Selene stated simply, and she shadowported away from me.  
“DOOM WILL DESTROY A….” There was a loud crash as Doom was thrown into the wall of a nearby building.  
The Fantastic Four all went gobsmacked as a lithe woman in a black dress appeared where Doom was floating, and began to walk over to his slowly recovering form.  
“WHO ARE YOU?! DOOM WILL….”  
Selene fired a bolt of purple lightning into him that caused the man to double over in agony.  
“HOW?! ONLY DOOM CAN….”  
Getting real tired of this guy, I shadowported behind him and clapped my hands together. The resulting sonic shockwave shattered what few windows in the area had somehow withstood the fighting, and blew Doom away.  
When his body finally came to a stop, it was in a pile in the middle of the street.  
Selene stormed over to his dazed form, and pulled his head up. Now having a better target, she jammed a blade of violet magic into his throat. She leaned in close to his ear. “If you are going to kill someone. Don’t talk about it, do it.” She spun the blade around, and Doom’s head fell away from his shoulders. Selene spit on the ground next to him, and let her sword fade.  
“What did you do?!” Reed cried.  
Selene turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “I believe we just saved your lives. No need to thank us.” She said sarcastically.  
“Victor…. Victor wouldn’t have killed us! You just…. just….”  
“Truly?” I drawled unbelievingly as I walked up to stand by Selene. “The man who was yelling about how your end was nigh, and who destroyed multiple city blocks wouldn’t have hurt you?”  
Richards sputtered. “He needed help! We could have helped him!”  
I stared at the enraged man for a moment longer, then shook my head. “We have better things to do than argue with an idiot.”   
Reed sputtered, but I tuned him out. This wasn’t at all what I was expecting from the smartest man in the world.  
I created a small portal near my hand, and reached through it. I pulled a simple black cloak out of it, and threw it to my right.  
Susan Storm, who had turned invisible the moment Doom fell, let out a shout of surprise as she caught the cloak on instinct.  
“If I were you, I’d find a way to make it so I don’t flash the entire world every time I use my power.” I nudged my head over towards the slack-jawed cameraman and reporter.  
Susan put on the cloak, and then revealed herself. Her face was pale as she stared at the camera, seemingly trying to will it out of existence.  
I couldn’t blame her. That video would be all over the internet in a few hours, and there was really no way to stop it since everything was filmed live.  
Selene walked up to the woman and put her hand on her shoulder. “Try not to let it bother you dear. You are alive, and you handled yourself well. Far better than the bumbling fools you call allies.”  
“Hey!” Ben Grimm cried out in offense. “We did fine!”  
“A trampoline.” I stated, with a nonplussed look.  
He opened his mouth to retort, but seemed to think better of it, and his jaw snapped shut.  
That’s what I thought.  
I felt a large group of people moving towards the area, and looked over to Selene. “Love, I think it’s about time we were away. I’d prefer not to deal with our incoming friends.”  
Selene waved a hand at me placatingly. “In a moment, lover.” She walked over to the news crew, and the men started to tremble as she approached.  
I couldn’t blame them. They did just watch her casually decapitate a man after making a Die Hard reference to lecture him about killing etiquette.  
Yes, that’s right. I got Selene to watch Die Hard with me. She even enjoyed it!  
Selene smiled widely at the reporter, and draped her arms around his shoulders. “Hello.”  
His small tremors escalated to shake his entire body.  
Selene purred dangerously. “You will, being the gentlemen you are, of course ensure my female friend over there receives fifty percent of anything you make off of today’s events won’t you?”  
“I…. well…. um….” The man stuttered.  
Selene frowned at him. “You wouldn’t be refusing would you? That would make me most unhappy.” She growled the last two words.  
“Yes! Of course! Please don’t hurt me!” The man shrieked in a very high pitched voice.  
“Wonderful!” Selene’s predatory aura faded, and she shifted to look directly into the camera. “And don’t think you can weasel out of this Mr. Smith. I’d hate to have to pay a visit to your office in Houston.” She smiled brightly, and strolled over to me. “We can leave now, lover.”  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Mr. Smith?”  
She waves me off. “He owns the news station.”  
I would ask how she knew that if I hadn’t already learned not to question such things.  
Thanks to Selene’s delay, I wasn’t able to open a portal before three black SUV’s pulled up into the destroyed street.  
An official looking man in a suit stepped out of the passenger seat of the one in the lead, and glared at us. “Stop where you are! Every single one of you is under arrest!”  
I gave the man a tired look, then slowly morphed my face to display an expression of alarm as I turned to look over his shoulder. “Behind you!” I cried as I pointed.  
The agent and his friends snapped around and brought their guns to bear on…. nothing.   
With the instant that stunt bought us, Selene and I opened portals beneath each of the Fantastic Four to drop them in Central Park, and strode through a fifth portal we made for ourselves.  
When the agents turned back around, they were alone with the reporters. Reporters who happened to catch the entire interaction on camera, broadcasting it live to millions of people.   
Take that asshole agent.  
Back in one of our safehouses, Selene raised an eyebrow at me.   
“What?” I asked.  
“That is the oldest trick in the book. Literally. I was there when it was first used.”  
I grinned at her. “You of all people should know not to diss the classics.”


	20. 20

“Ah, Rigel. It’s good to see you again.” Emma Frost greeted as I closed a portal behind me. A quick glance around informed me she was the only person in the club.  
“Emma.” I replied with a short head nod. “I assume you know why I’m here?”  
She smiled at me. “Of course. I have to say, I didn’t expect much from you when Selene first brought you here, but you’ve surprised me. At the time, I was merely glad to see Egor gone, but you’ve actually contributed!”  
I’d be insulted, but I honestly didn’t expect much of myself as the Black King either. The only reason I’ve done as well as I have is because I abused my future knowledge.  
Way back when I first discovered I was in Marvel, I put together a list of various things to investigate. Sadly, every single thing on that list, with the notable exception of Kamar-Taj, was too far in the future to matter. At least it was.  
Now though, I was not only in the right time period, but I also had the backing of, as Nick Fury put it, ‘the Illuminati’. So, I decided to make a noticeable impact on the world at large. The best way to do that was through technology, and I happened to know two very useful projects that were both currently in development.  
I spent the next few years in Hellfire gathering contacts, and doing all I could to further a few select people and their research.  
The first was the easiest to set up. Darren Cross was already a member of Hellfire, albeit one who lacked much influence, so kicking some funding his way was simple. The two of us spoke at length about potential ways to progress his research, and he lamented the fact that he didn’t have a solid example of Hank Pym’s original work. A week later, after he ensured me there would be no questions asked, he had just that. A vial filled with a red liquid-like substance.  
Pym would probably miss it, but he shouldn’t have left it lying so unprotected in that hidden room behind his safe. He should have thought ahead and set up countermeasures to ward off people who could teleport anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat.   
Come on man. It’s simple home security!  
Cross was still in the testing phase, but things are progressing much faster than they would have otherwise. I realized I may have accidentally butterflied Scott Lang out of his position as Ant-Man, but I’d rather have Pym Particles be useful for things other than combat. Being able to transport a freighter’s worth of cargo in your pocket is worth losing one Avenger. Besides, I could approach him at a later date to remedy things if I felt I needed to.  
Cross may not have the finished project yet, but he’s progressed by leaps and bounds, and since I was a major factor in his success, both myself and Hellfire got a lot of kickback.  
The second man I met with was another surprise from the universe. A man by the name of Norman Osborn also happened to be a member of Hellfire, though he too lacked much influence. A man, who without my intervention, would go on to become the Green Goblin.  
Once more, I was caught flat-footed. This was clearly not the MCU, nor was it the X-Men’s universe, and now I had to worry about which version of Spider-Man would arise. I doubted it would be the MCU’s version given Norman Osborn’s appearance, and my current theory was it would be Toby Maguire.   
Regardless, Norman approached me after hearing of how I had assisted Cross, and pitched me a number of his ideas. While his research is much more…. volatile, and therefore prone to accidents, I already knew its potential, so I gave him the green light and some funding. Not as much as Cross received, but enough to seriously advance his company.   
As a result, Oscorp began to churn out a large amount of products useful in both the medical and research industries. Norman made money, which means Hellfire and I both got a cut.  
I may have accidentally butterflied away Spider-Man due to the very specific way he got his powers, but again, I could easily remedy the situation. All I had to do was ask Osborn to borrow his most promising spider, a request he wouldn’t refuse, then I have it bite Peter Parker and return the spider to Norman. I might have to monitor Peter to make sure there are no adverse effects, but I’ve learned a lot about healing in my time with Selene. It was more than doable.  
My final business partner is a recent acquisition. A scientist by the name of Maya Hansen. She was quite brilliant, she had found a way to regenerate organic material, and make people into super soldiers. She wasn’t experienced in business, neither was I to be honest, but I was able to put her in touch with several people who were.  
The hardest decision for me was who to have help her. Cross wasn’t the greatest idea because the fields didn’t match up well, but Osborn wasn’t that appealing simply because he was already working on so much.  
In the end, Osborn took her on purely because he agreed to give her a private facility, and let her operate without his oversight. He would still market everything, but Maya would have the final say on everything that came out of her laboratory.  
Ironically, after joining Hellfire I finally felt like I had done something good with my time. So far, all I’d done to prepare for Thanos was to make myself stronger. I had helped the X-Men, but that was more to help them lead better lives than to groom them into soldiers to throw at invaders from space. I would have handled my interactions with them much differently if I only wanted them to fight. Just look at Logan. Without adamantium, he wasn’t as much of a threat as he could have been.  
Now though, I had put in place seeds that would actually change things. That would increase humanity’s chance of success.  
I did it Ancient One. It took me over half a century, but I finally accomplished the goal I set for myself when I left Kamar-Taj. Better late than never right?  
Huh. I should visit the Ancient One sometime. It’s been long enough that no one will know me, and even then I can just layer illusions over myself. I’ll put it on my to do list.  
I sat down in the chair to Emma’s right, and smirked. “I may not be as skilled at the game as you three, but I’m proficient at the very least.”  
Emma scoffed. “‘Proficient’ he says. Most would boast about making billions of dollars in such a short time.”  
I shrugged. “I’m not most people, and I don’t exactly have a need for money. It’s only as useful as what I can use it to buy, and I can gather most of what I need on my own.”  
She took a sip of her wine. “It’s curious. In your position as Black King, you sit atop a pedestal many would give anything for, yet you don’t seem to care for it all that much.”  
“What can I say? Selene talked me into the whole thing, and I’m only still here because I managed to make it work.”  
She hmm’d, but didn’t respond.   
I used the time granted by the silence to pour myself a drink, and took a sip.  
“I have never had a chance to thank you.” Emma says out of the blue.  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “I wasn’t aware I’d done you any favors.”  
She smiled softly. “You wouldn’t be.” She set her glass down, and looked me in the eyes. “Thank you. Without your involvement, I doubt Sebastian would have been killed.”  
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why are you thanking me for playing a part in killing Shaw? I was under the impression that the two of you were partners.”  
She grimaced. “We were, but let’s just say I had little choice in the matter, and leave it at that.”  
Oh. That…. I wasn’t sure how to react to that.  
She waved me off. “Do not concern yourself with it. Thanks to you, I was able to move past it long ago, and look at me now.” She held her arms out wide to motion to the area around us. “I am the White Queen of Hellfire. There are few women who would not trade everything for such a position.”  
“In that case, I’m glad I could be of assistance. No matter how minor a role I played.”  
She chuckled. “Your humility is impressive, Rigel. Where most overplay their ability and impact, you downplay your own. Why is that?”  
I leaned back in my seat and took a sip of wine. “There’s no point in sitting around talking about what you could do. I prefer to simply do, and let my actions speak for me. Boasting is a waste of time. Besides, I’d much rather be underestimated.”  
She grinned at me. “As would I.” She set her glass down on the table, and fixed me with a serious gaze. “To business. You are here to ensure Miss Hansen receives more funding?”  
I nodded. “I’ve already given her everything I have available, so I need to borrow from Hellfire.”  
Emma smirked at me. “It is hardly borrowing when everything you take was appropriated by yourself. Besides, it is a moot point. I will make up the difference personally.”  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Is there a reason for this sudden bout of generosity?” After spending so long in Hellfire, I’ve learned that everyone has an agenda, and nothing is done without reason.  
Emma shrugged. “I am not blind. Every individual you have backed so far has become extremely successful. I simply know my investment will be repaid with interest.”  
That was much simpler than I was expecting.  
“No hidden agenda?” I asked sceptically.  
Emma smirked at me as she sipped her wine. “Not everything I do has multiple objectives. I will admit that I appreciate the efficiency of such arrangements, but for endeavors like these it is unnecessary. I give the woman money now, she gives me that amount multiplied a dozen times over later. It’s simple.”  
“Fair enough.” A thought occurred to me, and I continued. “We’ve already talked about how little I care for money, what of yourself? What is the end goal for all this?”  
“I do not mind the question, in fact you are one of the few people in Hellfire who might understand my reasoning.” She set down her wine glass and leaned back in her chair. “Sometime in the future, I would like to open a school for mutants. Similar to Xavier’s own, but different as well.”  
I raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t what I was expecting. “Anything specific you would teach?”  
She shook her head. “No, but I would like to give those like me a safe place to live as they will. I joined Sebastian for a reason. He may have manipulated me into more than I bargained for, but I still wish for the world to be a better place for my kind to live in. As things are now, it is only a matter of time before a war breaks out.”  
I sighed. “As much as I hate to say it, you’re not wrong.”  
Mutants still weren’t looked upon very favorably. The only thing keeping the world from hunting them down was the fact they couldn’t find them. Mutants didn’t all live in a neighboring country you could invade, they lived everywhere around the world. Going after your own citizens on the suspicion they were a dangerous entity set a bad example and caused unrest.  
“I’m honestly surprised nothing serious has happened yet.” I continued.  
Emma smiled at me. “I believe that is thanks to yourself and Selene. Your actions against Trask, and against those three in Paris, have gone a long way to establishing good will between humans and mutants. Granted, neither of you are mutants, but the imbeciles don’t need to know that do they?”  
I smirked. “My feelings exactly.”  
There was a beat of silence, then I began to chuckle.  
Emma frowned. “What is it?”  
I shook my head. “I’m imagining you as a teacher. If the White Queen of Hellfire was my english teacher I might have actually paid attention in class.”  
She smiled coyly at me. “Because of my dazzling looks?”  
I just raised an eyebrow at her attempt to knock me off my rhythm. “I suppose that would be part of it, but I was more referring to the fact that you would have terrified me beyond capacity for rational thought.”  
She frowned. “You do not think I would be a good teacher?”  
“When did I say that? Honestly, I think you’d do a good job. You remind me of both of my own teachers, and look how I turned out.”  
“Both?” Emma queried with a tilted head. “I suppose it makes sense you learned from someone else before Selene, but you’ve never mentioned them before.”  
“Because I’m not supposed to.” I responded with a shrug. “They enjoy their privacy, and I respect them enough to honor their wishes.”  
If Emma was disappointed I didn’t say any more, she didn’t show it. “Then I will not pry.”  
We lapsed back into silence, and each took a drink.  
“So Rigel, do you have anything interesting planned in the near future?” Emma suddenly asked.  
I thought it over for a moment, then shook my head. “Not that I know of. Selene and I kind of just respond to events as they arise, and otherwise we do whatever. I’ll probably stop by Xavier’s to make sure everything is going well, but other than that I don’t have anything planned. Yourself?”  
She shook her head. “Things have been relatively quiet recently. Nothing aside from my normal duties has demanded my attention, and I have no friends to visit as you do. They have all passed.” She finished sadly.  
The mood turned somber.   
“I’m sorry.” I said softly. “Would you like to talk about it?”  
She turned to me with a discerning gaze. She stared at me for a moment, then spoke. “I have never had many friends. Janos and Azazel were with me the longest, but Janos died many years ago, and Azazel was recently killed.” Her eyes fell to the ground. “My brother and sister both recently passed as well. While Janos and Azazel both fell in combat, my siblings passed from complications due to aging.”  
I didn’t know what to say to that. I wasn’t sure there was anything that could be said.  
Emma turned to face me. “Have you dealt with this yet?”  
I took a deep breath, and shook my head. “Not yet, but the day is getting closer.” I thought of Erik’s pained expression he tried to hide from the rest of us after he had moved around too fast, Charles’s wrinkling skin, and the single strand of grey hair I noticed on Angel’s head when I saw her last. “I spent the first few decades of my life isolated from the world with my first master. I never had siblings, and I never really had a chance to form attachments with anyone. The first time I actually had friends was when I met Charles, Erik, and the rest.” I looked towards the ceiling as I remembered. “I used to call the younger mutants ‘kids’ while I was teaching them to fight, and now some of them have grey hairs. It’s….hard to come to terms with.”  
Emma nodded somberly. “I understand. Better than anyone barring Selene I would imagine. If you ever wish to talk, I would be happy to listen.”  
I smiled at her. “Likewise, and if you ever want to blow off some steam and bash some heads, just give me a call. Selene and I keep a list of scumbags who deserve to have their teeth kicked in.”  
Emma smiled back. “I will keep that in mind.” She sat up straighter in her chair, and her entire demeanor changed. Where before she was relaxed, she was now proper and alert. “I apologize for keeping you Rigel. I will ensure Miss Hansen has her funding.”  
I stood, and bowed my head towards her. “Thank you. Have a good evening Emma.”  
“And you as well.”  
With that, I spun around and walked through a portal.


	21. 21

“They are still going on with this? It’s been months!” Selene asked in exasperation as we watched the news on the TV above our table. The station was doing yet another piece about how Tony Stark, the infamous Iron Man, had saved the day when Hammer Industries’ new drones went awol and began attacking civilians. There was a brief mention of the Fantastic Four and another Iron Man suit assisting, but the focus was on Stark.. “You would think they would be used to people with extraordinary abilities by this point.”  
She wasn’t wrong. Between the X-Men, the Brotherhood back when they were active, the new Fantastic Four, and Selene and I’s less than subtle showings at various points in time, there were quite a few concrete examples of people doing the impossible, but people like to hear fantastic tales, and the media likes to make money, so they’ll report on what sells.  
“Why did we not attend the revealing?” Selene complained. “The two of us could have taken care of the issue with little to no effort expended. I understand why we allowed Stark to rescue himself in order to become Iron Man, but why could we not get involved in this?”  
“Because he was dying.” I reminded her. “If we poked our heads into the situation, we might have screwed him up and eliminated his chance to find a cure.”  
“Yes, but if you are correct he finished it before the drones were revealed. Why did we not stop them?”  
“SHIELD.” I responded. “They have agents all over Stark, and I’m not sure how I feel about them right now. Besides, I had faith Stark could handle it. Even if the Fantastic Four hadn’t shown up I still think he would've done fine.”

Selene sighed and leaned back into the booth. “SHIELD needs to learn to keep to itself. They ruined a perfectly good evening.” She reached out and plucked a breadstick from the table.  
As she began to chew on it, I asked, “Have you thought about what we discussed earlier?”  
She huffed. “I do not see why you would invite her along. We will be fine on our own.”  
“Maybe, but I get the sense she needs a chance to cut loose. I’d prefer that be tonight against a target that can take it than against some poor nobody from Hellfire.”  
She held my gaze for a moment, then sighed. “Very well. Give her a call.”  
“Thanks, love.”  
“Yes yes, you’re lucky to have me.”  
I smirked, and pulled out my phone. I opened my contacts list and called Emma. The past few months had been one dumpster fire for another. Half of Hellfire went ballistic when Stark’s stock went from extremely valuable, to dirt cheap, to priceless all in the span of a few months, and Emma took the brunt of the lashing out from Hellfire’s panicking businessmen simply because Selene, Kine, and I weren’t around. Add all the stress from that on top of her typical workload, and she was getting close to exploding. Given what Selene and I had planned for the night, it was a good chance to let her go a little crazy.  
“Frost.” Emma snapped out as she picked up.  
“Hello Miss Frost.” I said cheerily.  
She sighed. “Rigel, I’m in the middle of something important. Please make this quick.”  
“How would you like to fight a gigantic, genetically modified monster man tonight?”  
There was a beat of silence before Emma asked, “Are you drunk?”  
I looked across the table, and saw Selene’s eyebrow raised at me.  
I sighed.   
Fine. Ignore my theatrics.  
“Where are you?” I asked into the phone.  
“Where do you think I am?” She asked angrily. “In my office.”  
“Great. Be ready to fight in five minutes. Selene and I are going to kidnap you.”  
“What?” She asked in confusion, but I hung up rather than answering.  
“That seems to have gone well.” Selene stated dryly.  
I shrugged. “She’ll thank us later.”  
Selene shook her head. “I’m sure. Now, I believe we’ve lost track of time.”  
I took a look at the clock, and saw it was about time to head out.  
The two of us stood from our table, and I dropped a fifty for the waiter. “Are you ready?”  
Selene nodded as she stood next to me. “Sitting in anticipation for several hours has not hobbled me.”  
The two of us exited the restaurant, and saw a large number of police vehicles converging on our location.  
Selene tsk’d. “Why is everyone so interested in us?”  
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You do remember beheading a man on international television don’t you? In most cases, that’s considered an act of terror. That, and the two of us are terrifying.”  
“I prefer the term ‘intriguing’.”  
The british officers exited their cars and started moving towards us. “Freeze!” One particularly brave, or possibly stupid, officer bellowed.  
Selene and I simply ignored them. Selene opened a portal, and we were gone.  
We emerged in a small circular room with a fireplace against one wall, and a large desk in the center.  
Emma looked up as the portal disappeared behind us, and waved us away. “Whatever you are doing can be done without me. I have work to do.”  
I raised an eyebrow as I looked over the stack of paperwork surrounding her. “You’re going to drown in here.” I stated.  
“The sooner you leave, the sooner I can get everything finished.” Emma said testily as she resumed her work.  
Selene curled back away from the stacks of paper. “Emma darling, why don’t you simply pay a group of goons to do this for you? It would be far better for your mind.”  
“I tried that. Things were filed incorrectly, and then I had to waste an afternoon sorting everything myself. It’s better if I just do it myself the first time.” She responded without looking up.  
Emma was a bit of a control freak, but this was a whole other level.  
I looked over at Selene. “You see why I’m concerned now?”  
Selene nodded. “This won’t do.” She waved her hand, and Emma let out a surprised shriek as her chair fell through a portal.  
“She’s going to be pissed when we follow after her.” I observed.  
Selene hmm’d. “Good thing she’ll have something to vent her rage against.” She opened another portal, and the two of us walked through.  
We emerged into an alley with an enraged Emma Frost, and a destroyed expensive looking chair.  
“Send me back now!” Emma hissed as her skin turned to diamond.  
“We could, or we could let you work out some of your aggression on Abomination.” I replied without flinching.  
“I said…. Who is Abomination?” Emma’s curiosity won out.  
Selene poked her head out of the alley, and pointed to her right. “That.”  
Emma and I walked over to her to take in the scene.  
The street around was in ruins. Buildings had collapsed, cars were crushed like tin foil, the road was littered with craters, and almost everything was on fire.  
In the middle of an intersection two large bipedal beings faced off. One was a muscular imitation of a human with green skin, while the other had pale skin, and spikes extending from random parts of its body.  
The two behemoths roared at each other, then began throwing punches. The ground shook with each impact, and pieces of the surrounding buildings and cars were torn off to be used as improvised weapons.  
I did a quick scan with my magic to see if there were any civilians, and only found two people on a nearby roof. I looked up, and found the same cameraman and reporter from when Selene killed Doom set up.  
Huh. Those two either had great luck, or terrible luck. There wasn’t really an in between.  
“The green one is friendly, though currently in a berserker state.” Selene stated calmly as Emma’s jaw fell open. “I would recommend not taking a hit from either of them because I sincerely doubt your diamond will be enough to save you. Keep to the air, and harass him.” Her briefing finished, Selene’s eyes took on a violet glow as she flew off into the sky in the direction of the fight.  
Emma seemed to come back to herself, and snapped her head to look at me. “Are you trying to get me killed?!” She shrieked.  
“No. You haven’t been able to cut loose in a while, and this is the perfect chance to do so. Plus, the cameras will see three mutants protecting New York, and you’ll get some good will out of it. It’s a win-win.”  
She stayed silent, and there was a loud boom as Selene started bombarding Abomination with spells.  
I sighed. “Look. We aren’t going to force you to do anything, but you’re already here right? You might as well join in. You may even have fun!”  
I backed out of the alley to let her think, and took to the sky.  
Selene was flying over an alley in front of me, and letting loose a torrent of fire down into it. An enraged roar emerged from the same alley, and Selene had to dodge to the right to avoid a dumpster that came flying towards her.  
I watched the dumpster’s trajectory, and it was heading straight for the reporters.  
Not good.  
I started to open a portal to get them out of there, but I needn’t have bothered.  
The dumpster slowed down as it got closer, then it froze in midair.   
A diamond skinned mutant with blonde hair flew up from an alley with her hand raised. She waited until Abomination revealed himself again, then she flicked her wrist, and sent the dumpster hurtling into the creatures face.  
It connected, and the best fell over with the impact.  
Seeing the opportunity for what it was, Selene and I both closed in and began laying into him. Our lightning, fire, and energy blasts lit up the night sky as we laid into Abomination.  
Emma flew over, and joined us. Destroyed cars pulled themselves apart at her command, then she fired the resulting shrapnel into Abomination’s body. The cement opened up to swallow him, severely limiting his movement.  
A challenging roar echoed from behind us, and a battered Hulk charged underneath us to slam into Abomination.  
The three of us cut off our attack as Hulk began to lay into his opponent, but we continued to circle overhead to take advantage of any opening we saw.  
Emma used her telekinesis to wrap metal rebar around Abomination’s legs, and Selene and I created shields of violet energy to absorb the impacts of some of his punches he aimed at Hulk. His strength was enough to overpower hastily constructed shields, but they siphoned off enough energy that Hulk never really got hit. Abomination’s blows connected, but there was never enough power behind them to do any significant damage.  
In between lightning bolts, I sensed around the area again. There was a large caravan of cars slowly making its way through the destroyed streets in an effort to reach our position. Important to remember, but they were a ways out, so not overly important right now.  
Emma kept harrying Abomination’s movement and raining debris down on him, Selene and I kept firing lightning bolts and fire bolts, and Hulk kept smashing.  
Between the four of us, Abomination was losing a lot of ground. Hulk was able to beat him on his own, and now he had three powerful allies to back him up. Abomination was very much on the back foot.  
Things turned ridiculously in our favor when the roar of an engine drew my attention. A red and bronze suit of armor was rocketing its way towards us through the air. The suit came in close to me, and pulled to a stop next to me.  
“You’re the good guys right?” Tony Stark yelled.  
“Yes. Everyone in the air is a friendly, and so is the green guy. We’re throwing everything we’ve got at spike guy, but he won’t stay down.” I explained.  
“Got it.” He replied, and flew a little ways away from me to form a square around Hulk and Abomination with the other flyers. The four of us fired down into Abomination, while Hulk held his focus on the ground.  
We were hitting the guy with enough magic, debris, and ordinance to level a city block, but he just wouldn’t go down. This guy was tough.  
“Selene.” I called. “I got an idea. Can we reflect him?” I spoke in a way only another mage would understand. I was essentially asking if the mirror dimension would work.  
She threw more fire down, then yelled, “No! We’d have to bring half the city with him or else he wouldn’t be contained. Any other ideas?”  
“I’ve got something.” Emma called, then lowered herself down.  
“Are you crazy?!” Stark yelled. “Stay in the air!”  
Emma ignored him, and curled her hands around her sternum.  
Abomination noticed she was lower, and knocked Hulk away for a brief moment to charge her. He was just about to grab her when Emma threw her arms wide and screamed.  
The resulting shockwave blew Abomination away, and sent those of us still in the air spinning away.  
When I got my flight under control, I looked down and saw Hulk ground pounding a dazed Abomination. Emma was kneeling to recover her breath, but otherwise she looked fine.  
Tony, Selene, and I flew over and began doing everything we could to help Hulk keep Abomination down. Bands of energy emerged from Selene and I to wrap up his limbs, and Tony would fire repulsor blasts into him whenever he was starting to worm his way free.  
I wasn’t sure how long that lasted for, but eventually Tony yelled. “Incoming!”  
A square shaped, red colored package roared towards us, and Tony caught it. He reached inside, and pulled out several casings. After fiddling with his armor for a bit, he locked the casings into place, and flew towards Abomination. He waited for Hulk to pull back for a moment, then fired two large needles out of his wrist launchers. They both sunk into Abominations skin, and Tony flew away again.  
“What was that?” I asked.  
“Very illegal tranquilizers.” Tony responded simply.  
The three of us in the air, and Emma who had caught her breath after her stunt, started firing into Abomination again while Hulk used his head as a speedbag.  
Abomination’s movements grew slower, then lethargic, then he stopped moving at all.  
Hulk reared his head back and roared in triumph before climbing off the monster.  
Two more large needles sunk into Abomination’s chest.  
I raised an eyebrow at Tony.  
“What? I’m not risking that guy waking up.” He defended.  
“Sensible.” Selene said as she lowered herself to the ground. The rest of us followed her down.  
The caravan I sensed earlier had finally made its way over to us, and a black haired woman ran forward yelling, “Bruce!”   
Hulk turned towards her, and seemed to calm down.  
A man in uniform I recognized as General Ross followed her, and glared around the group at everyone. “I have to ask that you all come in for a debriefing.”  
Tony walked up to Selene and I, completely ignoring Ross. “Nice to meet you guys. I’m a real fan of the way you dealt with that Doom guy.” He turned to Emma. “Are you new?”  
Emma’s diamond form faded away, and Tony let out a whistle of appreciation.  
“Not new, no. Just unknown.” She said.  
“Nice to meet you.” Tony said to the group as his faceplate rose. “Tony Stark.”  
“Rigel.” I responded simply.  
“Selene.” Selene introduced herself.  
“Emma.” Emma followed suit.  
“Excuse me!” Ross roared. “I must request that you come with me immediately.”  
I raised an eyebrow at him, then turned back to Tony. “It was nice to meet you Mr. Stark. Hopefully we can work together again.” I waved my hand, and a portal open.  
“Oh my god that’s cool.” Stark said with a shine in his eyes as he stared at the portal.  
Emma, Selene, and I all walked through the portal.  
“Stop! You need to….” Ross’s voice cut off as I closed the portal.  
Was it polite to leave Abomination’s unconscious body there for Ross to deal with? No, but I didn’t particularly care. He was an ass in the movies, and if that brief interaction was anything to go by, he’s an ass here too.  
I turned to Emma. “So did you have fun?”  
She looked between Selene and I, then a small smile wormed its way onto her face. “I suppose it was amusing. Thank you both for getting me out of the office.”  
Selene waved her off. “No thanks are necessary, just ensure you do not spend too long in this room. Get out and wreak havoc every once in a while. It will do you good.”  
“I’ll take that under advisement.” Emma replied, amused.  
“Glad you enjoyed it.” I said, and opened another portal. “Save the rest of the paperwork for tomorrow, just relax for tonight.”  
Selene sauntered up to me and wrapped her arms around me. “I hope you are not counting on a quiet night.”   
I grinned down at her, then gave Emma a mock salute. “Until next time Emma.”  
The White Queen looked like she wanted to say something, and there was a small frown on her face, but she just nodded to me. “Good night.” She left through the door to her office in a hurry.  
What was that about?  
Selene dragged me through the portal and down onto the bed on the other side, and I focused on more important things.


	22. 22

Selene and I were minding our own business, sitting next to the edge of a waterfall when we felt a great disturbance in the force. Er, we felt a great disturbance with our magic.  
“What on Earth was that?” I asked when the colossal tide of energy had passed us both over.  
It was like someone had just dropped a meteor into the ocean, and the resulting wave had engulfed me.  
“It wasn’t.” Selene said breathlessly.  
“Come again?”  
“It wasn’t from Earth. I haven’t felt power like that since the gods of Asgard walked the Earth. I believe Thor has arrived.”  
That would explain the sheer power.   
“What do you want to do?” I asked Selene. “This is a test for him, so we can’t really interfere all that much or we might screw it up.”  
“Can we not treat this as we treated the Fantastic Four?” Selene queried. “We could go to his location and observe, but refrain from interfering unless we are needed.”  
I nodded. “Not a bad idea. Are you ready to go now?”   
She stood. “Even if I weren’t, everything we need is a mere portal away.”  
“Alright then.” I stood, and waved my hand, opening a portal. “To New Mexico.” We both walked through the portal.

Thor was easy enough to find. While he was stripped of his power, he still had an unusual presence when Selene and I looked around with our magic. He didn’t appear human. Which made sense because he was an Asgardian, not a human.  
Currently, Selene and I were shadowing the god of thunder while he walked around the small town with Jane Foster.  
The two of them had already been together for a few days, and Jane was currently venting about how SHIELD stole all of her equipment.   
I wasn’t sure exactly how much longer we had until the Destroyer showed up, mainly because I wasn’t willing to set any concrete timeline when this version of Marvel was already so screwy, but I figured we wouldn’t be here more than another week or two.  
“These two should stop beating around the bush and fuck already.” Selene commented out of nowhere.  
“That was random.” I stated in response.  
Selene shook her head. “I disagree. You and I are only required to be here until Thor regains his power, which he must become selfless in order to do. If he forms an attachment to the girl faster than he would have originally, we could leave sooner.”  
“Love, are you really willing to risk our potential ally the god of thunder because you got impatient?”  
She sniffed. “I suppose not. I’ve simply grown bored of this town, and wish to leave it behind as soon as possible.”  
“We will.” I assured her. “We shouldn’t have to wait around much longer.”  
Thor and Jane head into a shop of some kind, and Selene and I mill around on the other side of the street.  
“Do you think he will need our help with the Destroyer?” Selene asked, likely more to alleviate her boredom than out of genuine interest.  
I shrugged. “Abomination was stronger than he should have been, so it is a possibility, but not a strong one. Even if the Destroyer is stronger, Thor is no pushover. He can handle himself.”  
Selene nodded. “I do not doubt that, I simply…. oh finally.” She pointed across the street, and I watched as four heavily armed and armored warriors waved through a window at Thor.  
The Warriors Three and the Lady Sif. About time. Even I was getting bored.  
Selene and I watched as the new arrivals met with Thor, then the wind in the area began to dangerously pick up.  
Selene and I turned ourselves invisible, then flew up to a nearby roof.  
Walking down the middle of the main street was a large silver, man-like construct made entirely from uru.   
Selene and I had talked about maybe salvaging the exotic material, but it wouldn’t be all that useful to us. We had no way to shape the material, and a bunch of shards wouldn’t be able to do much with them. We likely wouldn’t be able to so much as make a necklace from them given how tough the material was.  
I was disappointed, but not overly so. I wasn’t a fan of armor anyway, and I could create blades of energy whenever I chose to.  
Thor walked out into the street to meet the Destroyer on his own while the town’s inhabitants fled. He didn’t fight back as the construct wailed into him.  
It threw him into buildings, slammed him into the ground, and fired its beam into him.  
Thor just took it all. Not once fighting back.  
He finally collapsed under a heavy hit, and was unable to get up. The Destroyer moved over him to finish him off, and just as Selene was about to portal him out of the way, Mjolnir slammed into the construct. Batting it away from Thor, and across the road.  
The god of thunder caught his hammer, and a storm of lightning erupted around him. His human clothes were torn away, and in their place his Azgardian armor latched itself onto him.  
The Warriors Three started cheering while Jane and her company just stared open-jawed at Thor’s new look.  
After spinning his hammer, thor rocketed into the sky, and a windstorm picked up. It quickly evolved into a full scale tornado, and the Destroyer was sucked up into it.  
Thor flew down to meet the floating behemoth, and there was a bright flash of blue light.  
The tornado dispersed, and Thor strode out as chunks of the destroyer went flying in every direction.  
There. Selene said in my mind so no one would notice us in our invisibility. He has regained his power, and the Destroyer is destroyed. Can we leave now?  
Yeah. I replied as I watched everyone mob Thor. Let’s get out of here.  
We weren’t needed, but it was better to waste a week, than to lose the aid of a literal god.  
The two of us flew back down behind a building, and Selene opened a portal. We walked through it, and entered one of our safehouses.  
“Well that was interesting.” A male voice said from behind us.  
Selene and I both reacted instantly. I spun around and wrapped up the intruder’s limbs with violet bands of energy, and she ran forward to press a violet blade of energy against his throat.  
Once he was sufficiently restrained, I allowed myself to look him over.  
He was wearing a well fitting suit, wore his hair in a buzz cut, and had a square card clipped to his lapel pocket. “Please don’t.” He said calmly despite the fact that Selene was a twitch away from killing him. “I’d like to talk.”  
“Selene.” I said, and pulled my bands back, allowing the man to move.  
Selene shot me a look, but she backed off when I gave her a nod.  
The man brushed himself off. “Thank you. My name is Agent Coulson. I work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.”  
Rather than play into the ‘that’s a mouthful’ trope, I chose to get down to business.  
“How did you get here?” I demanded.  
He shrugged. “I saw you on thermals, and followed you through your portal. How did you do that by the way?”  
Thermals? We’ll need to figure out a way to account for that.  
Selene growled. “Why did you follow us?”  
Coulson turned to her. “At first it was because I thought you were assassins. When you became visible again I recognized you, and standing orders are to approach you two calmly and open a dialogue.”  
“Most wouldn’t consider following us through a strange portal ‘approaching us calmly’.” I commented.  
He shrugged. “You’re not wrong.”  
“Since you’re here anyway,” I began, trying to speed things along. “what do you want?”  
“Director Fury has been trying to get into contact with the two of you, but everything our agents tell us turns out to be wrong.”  
I have to fight to suppress a smile.  
Rather than purge Hellfire of SHIELD’s plants, Selene and I decided to screw with them. We give them just enough actual information for them to believe their cover is secure, then randomly let them know we’ll be vacationing to an extremely uncomfortable location. We would then go to said location, and eat popcorn while we watched the agents fumble around.  
“And why would the Director be trying to contact us?” Selene asked with a dangerous smile.  
Coulson didn’t seem intimidated. “It would be better if he told you himself. Would the two of you be able to make an appointment at some time in the near future?”  
Selene sighed, then opened a portal beneath Coulson’s feet.  
Where past experience has taught me to expect a squawk of surprise, or a panicked shout, Coulson just tilted his head curiously as the portal swallowed him.  
Damn that man is a badass.  
“Where’d you send him?” I asked Selene.  
“Exactly where you and I are going now.” She replied, and opened another portal.  
We both walked through just in time to see Coulson dusting himself off once more. He turned to his right, and stared down the barrel of a gun. “Director Fury.” He nodded respectfully.  
“Agent Coulson.” The man in question replied from the other side of the gun. “Would you care to explain what is happening right now?”  
“Sir, I made contact with known enhanced individuals Selene and Rigel, and asked them if they had time to meet with you. As is apparent, they did.” He summarized.  
Does anything faze this man?  
Fury sighed, and slowly holstered his sidearm. He pushed a button on his desk and said, “False alarm.” He looked up at Selene and I. “Welcome to my office. Never enter that way again.” He said dryly.  
Selene and I just smirked at him.  
“Excuse me.” Agent Coulson pulled my attention back to him. “Would it be too much to ask that you return me to where I originally came from? I am still technically on the clock.”  
I chuckled. “Sure man.” I waved my hand, and opened a portal to the alley Selene opened the first portal in.  
“Thank you.” He strolled through the portal without a second’s hesitation.  
“I have to say Fury,” I started as the portal closed. “you’ve got some good people working for you. So! Why are we here? You wanted to speak to us about something?”  
Fury fell back into his chair and nodded. “While I would have appreciated a phone call in advance, I do have some free time. I was hoping to talk to you about Hercules.” He said simply.  
Selene looked between the two of us with a raised eyebrow. Hercules? She asked in my mind. What is he talking about?  
I tipped him off about Hydra as payback for ruining our date night. He probably didn’t get any sleep for a solid week. I replied.  
She turned to me with a lecherous smile. Lover, if we weren’t in potentially hostile territory I would ravage you. The moment we are safe, I’m having my wicked way with you.  
I shot her a quick grin before turning back to Fury. “Okay?” I played dumb. No telling who was listening in. “Why did you come to us? Lots of people have heard the story, all you need to do is listen to literally anyone around you.”  
Fury’s eye narrowed, and I felt confident he received my message. He sighed. “Then I guess I won’t waste your time with that.” Translation: Message received, we’re being watched. “There were some other matters I wanted to discuss with you though.”  
“And those are?” Selene asked with a raised eyebrow.  
“A certain club the both of you are exclusive members of for one.” Fury said.  
I chuckled. “Sorry Fury, but I don’t kiss and tell. If you want to know what happens in the back rooms of the gentleman’s clubs, you’ll just have to experience it for yourself.”  
Selene snorted at my deflection, but Fury just stared at me.  
“In that case, there’s only one more item to discuss.” He said.  
“I’m on the edge of my seat.” I replied.  
Fury leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows against his desk. “Why do the two of you do the things you do?”  
“Excuse me?” I said, confused.  
Fury reached into one of the drawers of his desk, then dropped a manilla folder in front of us. “We know what you’ve been doing, but we can’t figure out why. You may be at the head of a syndicate of questionable legality, but hardened criminals typically don’t moonlight as history teachers at a school for wayward mutants. Nor do they run regular humanitarian missions around the world to help the impoverished and needy. What’s the point of it all?”  
He might have thought he was impressing us with his file on us, but I certainly wasn’t impressed. We already knew about the Hellfire moles, and Xavier’s school wass far from inconspicuous. The only thing I was even slightly miffed on was the fact they found out about my side job that Selene occasionally tagged along for. Ever since Fury dropped that intel in the theater I’ve been trying to figure out where he got it from, but so far I’ve come up with nothing.  
I shrugged at Fury, letting nothing of my internal thoughts show. “Maybe we just aren’t assholes?”  
Selene hmm’s. “I wouldn’t go that far lover. We aren’t complete assholes.”  
I nodded in acquiescence. “Not complete assholes then.”  
Fury sighed, and leaned back in his chair. “If you two weren’t as influential as you are, I wouldn’t bother with the hassle of trying to talk to you. Unfortunately, ignoring you isn’t an option.” He reaches into another drawer, and pulls out a simple cell phone. He holds it out to us. “Would you be willing to take this with you so we can call you if you’re ever needed?”  
Selene scoffs. “I think you mean, ‘So we can track each and every one of your movements.’ Thank you for the offer, but we decline. If an event isn’t on the news, assume we’re unneeded.”  
Fury just put the phone back in the drawer as if he expected that outcome. “In that case, I have nothing left to discuss with you.”  
Selene nodded. “Then we will be going now. Good day Director Fury.” She opened a portal beneath the two of us before he could get another word in.  
We appeared in the safe house Coulson followed us to, and we both began to move robotically.  
We grabbed everything we didn’t want to lose, opened a portal, then doused the entire location in magical fire before leaving.  
Neither of us knew if Coulson would be able to find the house, so it was better to just torch it. It wasn’t like we were lacking places to live.  
We went to another safe house and unloaded everything we brought from the last one.  
Once that was done, Selene wrapped her arms around me from behind, and whispered in my ear. “I believe I made you a promise.”  
I grinned, and spun around to capture her lips.


	23. 23

“Before we begin, I’d just like to say that I think that the two of you, and Selene, are all insane.” Kine declared simply.  
I grinned at him. “I’m choosing to take that as a compliment, so thank you.”  
Emma quirked an eyebrow at him. “What have we done to be labeled so?”  
He turned his deadpan gaze upon Emma. “You fought a giant rage monster in the middle of a densely populated city. I haven’t had a chance to tell you all how stupid that is in person until now, so I’m telling you now. It was stupid.” He turned to me. “Please pass that along to Selene.”  
I shrugged. “We can fly. It couldn’t, and I will let Selene know.”  
“Where is Selene?” Emma asked curiously. “She should be here.”  
I sighed. “Neither of us wanted to come, so we flipped a coin for it. I lost, so I’m here for both of us.”  
“It fills me with immense amounts of joy to see your responsibilities are treated with the gravity they deserve.” Kine said dryly.  
Emma shrugged. “If she isn’t going to be here, then there’s no reason to wait any longer.”  
“Fine.” Kine said simply. “You both know why we're here. SHIELD’s been poking their nose in our business, and it’s begun to get annoying. They’ve figured out they can’t touch any of the kings or queens, so they’ve started going after the lower members. Hellfire will cease to be the force it is without all of our contacts, so how do we fix the issue?”  
“The way I see it,” Emma started. “we have a few options. The first, we simply eradicate the moles, and change everything they were aware of. This will preserve the organization, but it will be costly, time consuming, and will incite SHIELD’s anger. Currently, we are only an intriguing phenomenon to them. If we do this, they’ll begin to view us as a threat which will have multiple repercussions.”  
“I’d prefer to avoid that if possible.” I said. “SHIELD isn’t an organization you want to piss off. We could survive their full attention, but things would be much simpler if we didn’t have it.”  
Kine nodded. “I agree.”  
Emma nodded as well. “I too agree. Very well then. Option two is for us to cease any operations that give them cause to investigate us. It will likely take nearly a year for them to recall their agents, but a single year of inactivity won’t harm us all that much. We have more than enough sources of income to make up the difference, and it isn’t like we are currently hurting for money.”  
“I like that option much more. Not pissing off SHIELD, and only losing a small amount of money. Much better in my opinion.” I said.  
Kine rubbed his chin, then turned to Emma. “You said we had a few options. What’s our last one?”  
“We could work with them.” Emma stated simply. “Nothing we are involved in is any worse than what they themselves do to carry out their mission. I believe it would be fairly easy to establish a working relationship with them.”  
Kine kept rubbing his chin, then turned to me. “Thoughts?”  
I was a little surprised he was asking my opinion, but I didn’t let it show. I’d gotten good at hiding my reactions after my decades with Selene.  
“It would definitely be preferable to working against them.” I begin. “It would also carry the most risk though. We’d have to give them a lot for them to trust us enough to work with them, and even then they’d probably assign us an ‘associate’ to report back on all of our activities. We’d never be able to operate discreetly again. Anything we plan will get back to SHIELD, and any moles they have. On the other hand, it has an advantage over the second option. If we go with option two, we’ll have to enact it periodically. SHIELD will only leave us alone so long as they don’t have a justifiable reason to investigate us. If we go squeaky clean for a year only to reopen operations, we’ll have to keep dealing with new agents. It honestly might be easier to just leave things as they are. At least now we know who the moles are.”  
Kine leaned back in the booth and thought. “No option is perfect, but that’s always the case. I would prefer to either deal with the moles now, or simply continue as we are. Rigel’s correct in that we have an advantage knowing who the moles are. I’d rather eradicate the problem, or hold that advantage.” He turned to me. “And you?”  
“I’d rather continue as we are, or go with option two. I’m not a fan of working against, or with, SHIELD. There are just too many unknown variables to juggle.”  
Kine turned to Emma. “With Selene absent, you have the deciding vote.”  
She thought for a moment, then spoke. “Then I suppose we are continuing operations as normal. I will assign people to watch the spies, but so long as they do not stick their noses out too far we’ll leave them be.”  
Kine finished his drink and stood. “Glad we got that settled, I have things I need to do. Good night.” He nodded to us, then left the room. Leaving Emma and I alone.  
Emma leaned back into the booth, and looked over at me. “So, now that business is concluded, how have you been doing?”  
I shrugged. “I can’t complain. Nothing too exciting has happened since we fought Abomination. I did see a few gods, but I didn’t converse with them.”  
Emma tilted her head at me. “I must have misheard you. Did you say you met gods?”  
I nodded. “Not gods in the sense you’re thinking of, but extremely powerful regardless. In fact, I’m sure you’ve heard of them. Do you know any legends of Thor?”  
Emma’s jaw worked for a moment as she tried to find something to say. “You met…. Thor? As in the norse god of thunder? That Thor?”  
“Yep. Even watched him fight an autonomous construct designed solely for the purpose of eradicating its enemies. It didn’t even put up a fight against him. He’s on another level entirely, I’m not sure I could beat him even if I went all out.”  
Emma blinked at me. “You met Thor?” She repeated.  
“I thought this was already established.”  
“The norse gods are real?!” She shrieked.  
Maybe I shouldn’t have broached this topic. I might have just shattered her world view.  
“Yes, the norse gods are real, and this isn’t the first time they’ve been to Earth. They were here a few thousand years ago, give or take a few centuries. Selene actually met them back then.”  
“Are….are the other gods real?” Emma asked shakily.  
I made a so so gesture. “Depends on what you’re talking about. There are quite a few gods in existence, they just tend to leave Earth alone because we’re so insignificant, but as far as gods known about on earth go, the norse ones are about it.” I’m not sure if The One Above All counts, and I’d really rather avoid saying that name out loud. There are some entities in Marvel I want absolutely nothing to do with.  
“What kinds of other gods are there?” Emma asked, a strange fire alight in her eyes.  
“I’m not an expert.” I answered truthfully. I knew far more than most, but I didn’t read nearly as many comics as I would have liked before I ended up here. “That being said, I can tell you what I know. The first are the norse which we’ve already talked about. From what I know, their pantheon is almost exactly like how we recorded it here, but there might be some inconsistencies. Then you have the Celestials.” I shuddered slightly. “Complex entities that can control matter and energy at will within a certain distance. The only limiting factor to them is their size, and given they can make themselves as big, or even bigger than planets, size typically isn’t an issue for them. Then you have the cosmic entities.” I stopped talking.  
“Cosmic entities?” Emma prompted me to continue.  
“I’m not comfortable naming any of them. I’m sure you’ve heard a children’s story or two where saying something’s name gave them power over you, it’s the same principle. These entities are so powerful just talking about them might draw their ire. Just look over the name ‘cosmic entities’, and extrapolate from there.”  
Emma sat still for a moment, then picked up her wine glass and downed the rest of it. “I certainly wasn’t expecting to learn gods existed tonight.”  
I chuckled. “I freaked out about it too when I first realized they were real.” Waking up in Marvel and comprehending just what that meant was utterly terrifying. “You’ll get used to it. Besides, I highly doubt any of them, barring maybe the Asgardians, will ever impact us in a direct way.”   
That reminded me. I needed to hunt down the piece of Ego he planted behind that Dairy Queen and annihilate it. It would be nice if Selene and I could find a way to use it, or maybe even absorb its power, but if we couldn’t, it needed to be permanently dealt with. We should do that sooner rather than later.  
“Anyway, how have you been?” I asked Emma. “I didn’t mean to drop that bomb on you, and you never said what you’ve been up to recently.”  
Emma shook her head to clear it, then turned back to look at me. “Things have been incredibly boring for me. I’ve been surrounded by paperwork and incompetent idiots. The most interesting thing I’ve done in the past year was fighting Abomination with you and Selene.” She smiled softly at me. “Thank you for that by the way. It had been a long time since I was able to cut loose, and I enjoyed myself despite the gravity of the situation.”  
I smirked. Knew she’d thank us. “Don’t mention it. You’re welcome along any time.”  
She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She stared at me for a moment as if deciding what to say, and eventually settled for, “Thank you.”  
I bowed my head to her, then stood up from the booth. “Selene will be expecting me back soon, so sorry to drop an existential crisis in your lap and run, but that’s exactly what I’m doing.”  
Emma chuckled. “I will be fine Rigel. This isn’t the first time I’ve had my world turned on its head, only the most recent one. Give Selene my regards.”  
“Will do.” I opened a portal, and stode through it.  
On the other side, Selene was lazing on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in her hands as she watched Jurassic Park.   
The sight brought a smile to my face. It had taken both incredible time and dedicated effort, but I’d managed to corrupt Selene into enjoying good cinema.  
“So what did you decide?” She asked without looking away from the screen.  
“We’ll leave the spies as they are. It’s the least complicated option, and we’ll have the most control.” I answered as I walked over to join her.  
She shifted around to make room for me, and I plopped down.  
“Emma says hello, and Kine thinks we’re all idiots.” I told her as I grabbed a handful of popcorn.  
“I’ll return the greeting when next I see Emma, and I’ll threaten bodily harm upon Kine when next I see him.”  
She leaned her head against my shoulder, and we settled in to watch the rest of the movie.


	24. 24

“When you offered to show me a fragment of a god, this is not what I was expecting.” Emma said in disappointment as she looked up at the Dairy Queen.  
Selene just started walking. “I imagine that was the point. Who would look for something so important in such an ordinary location?”  
I followed after Selene. “Maybe he was just trying to impress his girlfriend after they’d just gotten ice cream?”  
Emma tilted her head to the side as she started walking. “Three weeks ago I believed gods to be myths, and now I’m learning that they have girlfriends. I’m not sure whether or not I preferred ignorance.”  
“It is better to know and lament the knowledge than to live a lie.” Selene made known her opinion on the matter. “In time, you will grow accustomed to this, and the point will be moot.”  
The two of them continued to talk while my mind wandered.  
I had completely forgotten about Peter Quill. I was so focused on the mutants, and honing my magical abilities, that he just didn’t seem important enough to worry about. Had I spent even a day thinking about the poor kid, I could’ve stopped his kidnapping. At the same time though, if Yondu hadn’t taken him, then he wouldn’t be there to take the power stone before Ronan’s henchmen got it.  
No, that was just an excuse. I wasn’t concerned with him, and now he’s likely with the Ravagers.  
Why did this bother me so much? Quill was one man. He could go on to do great things, but at the end of the day he was one person. I was trying to save an entire planet. If I spent all my time saving everyone the world would die, so why was I still hung up on Quill?  
The answer was obvious.  
Quill was Star Lord. He was a recognizable character from Marvel. Even after living in this world for over three times as long as I lived in my old world I was still enamored with the stories of the people here. I needed to start looking at everyone the way I looked at the X-Men. I still remembered their stories, but the people I had met, the people who I called friends were more than stories. This world wasn’t a story, and I needed to find a way to get that through my skull.  
“Rigel?”  
I blinked, and looked up into the concerned faces of Selene and Emma. “Yes?”  
“You were elsewhere.” Selene answered as she studied me. “Are you alright?”  
I nodded. “Just thinking.” I looked around us, and saw trees in every direction. I must not have been paying attention as we walked here.  
Selene watched me a moment longer, then looked back to the surroundings. “You said it would be around here? I sense nothing.”  
I reached out with my own mystical senses, and felt nothing either. “It’s here. I wouldn’t put it past a celestial to be able to hide its signature somehow. There might also be an illusion over it.”  
“What would it feel like?” Emma asked distractedly.  
I turned to face her, and found her eyes unfocused. She was also swaying on her feet slightly.  
“Why? What do you feel?” Selene asked her.  
“Power. Vastness. Old. I didn’t even know ‘old’ could be a feeling.” She responded, her eyes still looking at nothing.  
“I imagine that’s what a celestial’s seed would feel like. Can you take us to it?” I asked.  
Emma nodded. “Follow me.”  
She led us back the way we came, then began looking around on the ground. Her eyes caught on something, and she tilted her head. “Is that it?”  
Selene and I shared a look, and I came to the conclusion that she didn’t see anything either.  
“We can’t see what you see Emma. What does it look like?” I asked.  
“There’s a glowing blue orb in the center, and it’s surrounded by orange and red leaves and petals.” Emma described.  
“That sounds right. Can you try to move it with your telekinesis? If you feel like you’re in danger, stop immediately. I don’t know what kind of protections would be around this thing.”  
Emma nodded, and lifted her hand up. She frowned, and her forehead creased in concentration. A few moments later there was a squelching sound, and a blue and orange plant like Emma described appeared floating in midair.  
“I believe this was a successful journey.” Selene declared as she looked over the plant. “Now that it is removed from whatever protections it was placed behind, I can feel its power. There is much we could do with this.”  
“Like what?” I asked.  
Selene shook her head, her eyes never leaving the plant. “I can think of several uses already, but they would likely be a waste of such a seed. It would be better to study it further first, then come to a decision.”  
“How did you even know this was here?” Emma asked in confusion as she levitated the plant into her hand. “If you couldn’t feel it with your magic, then how did you know it was here?”  
Selene and I locked gazes.  
Do you trust her? Selene asked in my head, startling me.  
Yes. I answered, unsure of where she was going with this.  
Then I recommend we tell her.  
Just to clarify, what would we be telling her? I asked, fairly certain of the answer.  
Everything. Selene responded. There are few I would trust with this secret. Emma is one of them.  
Why? I asked. You don’t trust people easily, so why Emma?  
Selene’s gaze left mine to turn towards Emma. Because I see much of both of us in her. She answered cryptically.  
“Most may not recognize a silent conversation, but I am also a telepath. What were you discussing that I was not allowed to hear?” Emma asked, starting to sound suspicious.  
I spared one last glance towards Selene, then sighed. “Not here. Let’s get back to a safehouse first.”  
Selene nodded, and opened a portal. She walked right through, and I followed after her.  
Emma hesitated for a brief moment, but eventually followed after me.  
We all emerged into a sitting room, and Selene sat down on the couch. I sat next to her, and motioned for Emma to take the chair across from us.  
Emma looked between the two of us with a calculating eye, and slowly sat down. “Why do I feel as if you are acting against me?”  
“We aren’t.” I assured her. “We just….haven’t told you the full truth. Selene thinks we should tell you everything, and I agree. We don’t have many allies, and even fewer friends. Besides, you may be able to help us save the world.”  
Emma’s eyes narrowed. “Save the world from what?”  
“We’ll get to that, but we should start at the start.” I took a deep breath, and began my tale. “This isn’t my first life….”

Emma was silent through most of my explanation, only asking a clarification question here or there. Selene chimed in at times to add her perspective to the story, but other than that let me tell it myself. By the time I was finished, Emma was standing and slowly pacing back and forth in the room. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her expression was unreadable.  
“I….I do not know how to respond to any of this.” Emma finally spoke. “What am I supposed to say? To do?”  
“If you need time to process everything, take time to process everything. We’ll still be here when your head is back on straight.” I said calmly, trying to assure her that we didn’t expect anything of her.   
Emma turned to Selene. “How long have you known?”  
“Decades.” Selene responded simply.  
“You’ve been living a lie for decades?” Emma seethed, seemingly starting to panic.  
“There is no lie.” Selene met her gaze evenly. “This world is real. I don’t know how Rigel came to be here, but his knowledge does not relegate all I have done as false. He has also never lied to me. He kept secrets, but everyone keeps secrets. I trust him, and we both have trusted you. What will you do with that trust?”  
Emma took several deep breaths, then sat down in her chair. She looked me in the eye, and asked, “Why did you tell me?”  
“I already answered that.” I responded. “Selene and I don’t have many friends, and we both count you as one of them. We’ve spent more time around you than we have around Charles, and you’re in the best position to help us. You also understand the need for discretion. Charles is a good man, but he would take the news of Thanos and scream it from the mountain tops. That would do nothing but cause panic. You’re more reserved, and understand how to play the long game. And, again, you’re our friend.”  
Emma began to wring her hands, and started shaking her head. “I need to hit something. I can’t be thinking about this right now. I need something to fight.”  
“I volunteer.” Selene said as she stood.  
“Good.” Emma stood as well. “Take us somewhere isolated.”  
I didn’t speak as Selene opened a portal, I just followed the two women in silence. People responded to things differently. If this was how Emma needed to process this, fine. Once she got it out of her system, we could talk.  
The three of us emerged into the Sahara. Selene’s favorite place to trash. The sun was down, and the stars were shining bright, but Emma paid them no mind.  
“Let’s do this.” She said, and charged Selene.  
Selene dodged backwards into the sky, and Emma followed up after her. Her skin turned to diamond as she gave chase. Selene made a change of her own as her outer magic form lit up the night. She took a moment to control the energy, then began hurling lightning bolts towards Emma. Several impacted the mutant’s diamond skin and bounded off, doing no damage.  
Selene slowed down, then suddenly reversed her flight. Barreling right towards Emma.  
The two collided in midair and began striking towards one another.  
It was clear Selene was the more skilled hand to hand fighter of the two, but each of her hits rebounded harmlessly off of Emma’s diamond skin. Emma tried to capitalize on her advantage by rapidly counterattacking, but she was wobbly. It would surprise me if she’d ever had a fist fight in mid air before, whereas Selene had had several. It was a large part of our training regiment. Every strike Emma tried to land, Selene deftly dodged and counterattacked, her own attack failing to damage Emma.  
Realizing the stalemate for what it was, Emma kicked off of Selene, and created a large gap to buy herself some time.  
Selene moved to follow her, but stopped herself. Instead, Selene flew a little higher into the air and waited to see what Emma would do.  
Using the time provided to her, Emma held her hands out to her sides, and the sea of sand rose up beneath her. She splayed her fingers wide, and the sand funneled into several small tornados then flew up around her.  
I was taken aback by Emma’s display. I had no idea her control was good enough for something like this. Hell, I was getting Apocalypse flashbacks. There was no way Emma was this strong.  
She brought one of her hands up, and pointed it in Selene’s direction. Her several tornadoes of sand condensed together into a grid of tan colored spears, and they all shot forward towards Selene.  
Selene slashed her hand towards Emma, and a wave of fire spread out in front of her. Melting the sand javelins to nothing, then continuing on towards Emma.  
Emma thrust her own arms out towards the fire, and let out a cry as the fire got closer.  
I panicked as the fire moved towards her.  
I didn’t know if her diamond form was resistant to heat. This could kill her if it wasn’t, but then again Selene knew what she was doing, right? She wouldn’t have advocated for telling Emma everything only to kill her now.  
The wave of flame engulfed Emma, and for a moment I thought she was dead. Then I realized the flame wave hadn’t moved, it had stopped right where Emma was.  
The flames began to condense around a single point, then swirl around in a fiery tornado.  
Selene flew backwards through the air to create some distance as she observed the strange phenomenon. She didn’t know what this was either.  
An unexpectedly high pitched screech echoed out from the flaming tornado. The flames suddenly split down the middle, and spread out wide. Emma floated in between the two coordinated masses of flame letting loose a roar. The screech was coming from her.  
The two lines of flame condensed down, and latched onto Emma’s shoulder blades. Forming two large flaming wings behind her. Aside from the wings, there were a few other changes. Emma’s blonde hair had become alive with golden fire, and her eyes shone out a piercing orange.  
For a moment, I forgot it was night. The light given off by Emma dwarfed even the violet beacon that was Selene. It was as if the sun and moon had both come down to Earth to do battle.  
As I beheld Emma’s new features, I felt several jigsaw pieces suddenly click together in my head. Emma was telekinetic, she hadn’t aged a day in almost fifty years, and she could fly.   
Emma Frost was the host of the Phoenix. How the hell was she the Phoenix?! I’d met Jean! Shouldn’t….wait.  
Selene was fighting the Phoenix.  
“Selene!” I bellowed. “Back off! We need to calm her down now!” Selene was powerful, but there was absolutely no way she could fight the cosmic embodiment of all life.   
Selene turned to me, and then her gaze snapped back to the woman with flaming avian wings flying in front of her. Having learned to trust me when it came to strange developments in the universe, Selene flew backwards to widen the space between her and Emma.  
Emma’s screech had yet to taper off. Her head was still tilted back to behold the heavens, and the awful wail continued to pour forth from her mouth. She wasn’t reacting to the environment around her, but the environment was reacting to her.  
Much of the sand directly beneath her had turned to glass, and the wind in the area began to pick up to violent speeds.  
Emma! I yelled into her mind. You need to control it! Focus! Push it back!  
The flames began to dim, only to roar back to life even brighter.  
Do not let it control you! I tried again. You need to fight this! You’re going to kill yourself unless you hold it back! Emma, you’re going to kill us!  
Emma’s scream cut off abruptly, and her body began to tremble.  
Slowly, the flames shrunk away. The wind began to settle, and Emma slowly descended. By the time she had touched down on the ground, the last of her fire had winked out. Her eyes and hair returned to normal as she collapsed face first into the sand.  
I ran up to her, and began to check her over with my magic.  
She was alive, but her body was a mess. Her muscles had nearly torn themselves apart, her bones felt shaky, and her mind was on fire.  
I pulled all three of the healing potions I typically carry with me out, and began administering them.  
A now powered down Selene landed near me and silently walked up behind me. “What was that?” She asked in a rare moment of awe.  
“The Phoenix Force.” I responded distractedly as I did my best to restore Emma. “Apparently Emma’s its current host.”  
Selene’s eyes widened. “I thought you said Jean was supposed to be its current host?”  
“I did, and she is. Just another thing that’s different about this world.”  
I finished my work with the potions, and Emma’s eyes slowly flickered open.   
“Wha… apen’?” She managed to force out.  
Rest. I responded telepathically. Worry about all this once you’re recovered.  
She moaned in protest, but soon passed out again.  
A rhythmic beating of air drew my attention, and I saw two points of light in the night flying towards us.  
“Helicopters.” Selene observed. “We need to get her out of here before they make it any further.” She opened a portal, and moved to the other side of me to help me carry Emma through it.  
We emerged into the same safe house we left not twenty minutes ago, and laid Emma down on the bed.  
Selene kneeled down next to her, and began scanning over her with her magic.  
“She’ll be fine.” Selene declared with no small amount of relief. “She’ll likely need to rest for several days, but she will be fine.”  
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, and collapsed into a chair. “What the hell just happened?” I asked myself as much as Selene.  
“I don’t know.” Selene responded. “My best guess is that her emotional state was compromised from our discussion, and the Phoenix responded to that. It likely didn’t help that I offered to fight her.” She exhaled softly. “This is my fault.”  
“No.” I said quickly. “Don’t do that. You didn’t intentionally cause this, and neither of us had any idea Emma was the fucking Phoenix.” A fact I was still trying to wrap my head around. “This isn’t on you. Emma will be fine, we just have to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”  
Selene took a breath, then nodded. “It won’t.” She turned back to me. “Get some rest. I will watch over her, then wake you to take over for me when I tire.”  
“Are you sure? I can take the first shift.”  
“I’m sure.” Selene responded. “I likely won’t be getting to sleep any time soon, so you may as well.”  
I wanted to argue, but I bit my tongue. Selene was more than capable of watching over Emma, and she was trying to find something to focus on. She did that in rare instances when she was tense. It would be best to leave her with something to do.  
“Okay.” I said. “Wake me when you need me to take over.”  
I left her and Emma in the bedroom, and fell onto the couch in the sitting room.  
Emma Frost was the host of the Phoenix Force. How? When? Why? How?  
I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.  
I would have plenty of time to worry about this later. For now, I needed to get some sleep. Selene would need to switch out with me eventually.

(Selene)

I stared down at the slumbering woman before me as a thousand thoughts flew through my head.  
I hadn’t intended to put her in this position, but it was partly my fault. However, Rigel was right. I had no knowledge of what slumbered within her, and blaming myself would not expedite her recovery.  
I scanned over her with my magic once more, and found her to still be stable.  
Had I known she would react so strongly to Rigel’s origins, I would have saved this discussion for a later time, but my emotions got the better of me. I wanted her to know, because I wanted to know if she would continue to view us in the same light once she knew. While she reacted poorly to the revelation itself, I sensed no change in her feelings for either Rigel or myself. That was why I offered to spar with her, I was hoping to move the conversation in a different direction.  
Emma believes she is subtle, but I believe even Rigel has begun to notice her longing gaze and reluctance to voice certain thoughts. When I first noticed her watching Rigel, I was furious. I intended to bide my time until she made her move, and then I would bury her beneath the ocean for attempting to steal my lover. As time passed however, I realized Rigel was not the sole recipient of her affections. The same longing gazes she followed Rigel with were also directed towards me. She wanted both of us.  
At first I scoffed at the idea. I thought she would grow out of her crush when she realized she had no chance, but Rigel and I’s affection for each other only seemed to deepen her envy. She was not simply lusting after us, she longed for what we shared. Our companionship, our love for each other. She was alone, and was constantly shown all she wanted not meters from her.  
Once I realized the depths of her desire, I began to test and prod her the same way I did Rigel. I would insult her casually in an attempt to rile her up, but she merely returned the taunt in kind. I attempted to terrify her into submission, but she simply rolled her eyes at my threats. I exposed my body to her, and caught her eyes locked onto my movements.  
When I felt the budding feeling in my own chest, I severed all contact with her. I refused to hurt Rigel, and her in that way. My experiment, which was meant to put the matter to rest, had only made the problem worse. I avoided her wherever possible, and only interacted with her when it was absolutely necessary. At least until Rigel began to drag her along on our outings.  
He had seen the same loneliness I had, and attempted to help her through it. He didn’t see it as he was too focused on the monster, but when he brought her to fight Abomination she was smiling. Truly smiling. Not that mask she constantly wears over her face. She’s gotten good with it, but she is centuries too young to match my own abilities.  
The more she was around both of us, the more I saw the connection. Rigel was attracted to her just as I was. I knew he had not acted on that attraction, he would never do that to me, but I saw him watch her when he thought no one saw.  
The more I considered things, the easier the decision became. If we all cared for one another, then why waste time? I had been alone for thousands of years before finding my Rigel. I would not waste any more time.  
The final test was Rigel’s to overcome. If he could trust her with his origins, she could join us. If he couldn’t, then it would never work anyway.  
He trusted her, and I was overjoyed, but Emma was wounded before I could broach the topic.  
I sighed.  
I was unsure of how to proceed.  
A soft groan drew my attention to Emma. She was beginning to stir, and her eyes were flickering open.  
“Wha….What happened?” She asked softly.  
“You exhausted yourself.” I replied. “You channeled too much otherworldly energy through your body, and passed out. Rigel and I brought you back here.”  
“Where is he?” She asked, her voice sounding stronger already.  
I reached up to my necklace, and sent a faint pulse of magic into it. A few seconds later, Rigel entered the room.  
“How are you feeling?” He asked Emma.  
She brought a hand to her forehead, and slowly sat up. “Exhausted.” She said simply. “How did I knock myself out?”  
Rigel sighed, and pulled a chair up next to me. “This is going to sound even crazier than everything else we talked about today.”  
Emma laughed quietly, but it broke off in a groan of pain. “I highly doubt that.”  
Rigel looked her in the eyes. “Okay. Do you remember our discussion about gods?”  
Emma nodded.  
“Then you’ll remember how I talked about cosmic entities.” He continued. “One of the cosmic entities is a being referred to as The Phoenix Force. It is the cosmic entity with dominion over all life, both born and yet to be born. It takes hosts from time to time, and it seems to have decided you would make a good one, because you are its current host.”  
Emma paled. “What?”  
“You are the host of the Phoenix Force.” Rigel repeated. “One of the most powerful entities in existence is currently living within you.”  
Emma blinked, then blinked again, then slowly laid herself back so she could stare at the ceiling. “Are you sure?” She asked.  
“Yes.” I answered. “I know this is a lot to take in Emma, but it is the truth.”  
She swallowed heavily. “Well, I fail to see any way this day could possibly surprise me again.”  
I laid a hand comfortingly on her shoulder, then stood, pulling Rigel up with me. “We’ll give you a moment to yourself. If you need either of us, simply call.” I pulled Rigel along behind me into the next room  
He sighed once we were far enough away to not be heard. “I wish there was something we could do to help her.”  
I turned to him, and spoke in his mind. There is.  
His eyes widened slightly. Go on.  
Do you find her attractive?  
He physically jolted at the question, and stared at me in confusion. What?  
Do you find her attractive? I repeated. Can you see yourself being happy with her?  
His breathing became erratic. Selene, what are you saying?  
My own eyes widened as I realized the source of his fear, and I quickly pulled him into a hug. I am not leaving you, lover. I will never leave you.  
His muscles relaxed slightly. Then where are you going with this?  
I pulled back so I could look him in the eyes. Emma is alone. She is wandering without purpose, and she will slowly destroy herself. Without someone to lean on, this development with the Phoenix may push her over the edge.  
So what? You want me to let her lean on me? That’s not fair to her or you, love. Rigel argued.  
I shook my head. No, you don’t understand. We could be her support. Both of us. She could join the two of us.  
He sucked in a breath as he realized what I was saying.  
I will not force this on you, lover. I assured him. Nor will I force this on her. If you do not desire this, I will not bring it up again, but I believe the three of us could be happy together. I love you, and cherish our time together, but Emma could make our world that much brighter.  
He slowly let out the breath he was holding. This is incredibly sudden. How sure of this are you?  
Telling her of your past was the final step. She still accepts you, so I believe she will be with us forever, but I will not force you to decide either way. The choice is yours.  
He stood in silence as he considered my proposal. I did not know what he was thinking, but I resolved to not hold his decision against him no matter what he chose.  
Almost ten full minutes later, he finally spoke in my head once more.  
Are you sure of this? He asked. Do you want this?  
Yes. I responded with iron.  
Good. I want this too. I guess the final decision is in Emma’s hands.  
I smiled widely, and pulled him down to kiss me.Then let us ask her.  
The two of us returned to Emma’s bed, and found her just as we left her. She was staring at the ceiling, and ignoring everything around her.  
“Emma?” I laid my hand upon her shoulder.  
She flinched at my touch, but I assumed it was only because it was unexpected. “Oh. What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice sounding dead.  
“Nothing is wrong.” I responded. “Rigel and I wish to discuss something with you.”  
“Then discuss. I’m not going anywhere.” She sounded disinterested and fatalistic. She was not in a good place.  
“I’m just going to cut to the chase because I’m not good with subtlety, and it’s the last thing you need right now.” Rigel spoke. “Emma, Selene and I have discussed it, and we would like for you to join our relationship.”  
Emma’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry, I must have misheard you. Could you repeat….”  
“Emma.” I interrupted her and grasped her hand. “Rigel and I would like you to enter our relationship. I know how you feel for both of us, and we would be lying if we said we did not feel the same for you. We want you with us.”  
Emma’s eyes were wide, and her breathing was accelerating.  
Rigel moved next to me and took her other hand. “This is your choice Emma. We won’t force you into this, nor force you to decide right away. Whatever you decide, we’ll….”  
“Yes.” Emma cut him off. She tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him down to her, taking his lips with her own. She hungrily moaned against his mouth, before pulling away. The next moment, she tugged me down towards her and pressed her lips against mine.  
I forced my tongue into her mouth as I enthusiastically returned the kiss, drawing another moan from her.  
Her breathing accelerated once more, and she began tugging at my dress. She pulled away from my lips to glare angrily at my clothes. “Off.” She growled.  
I felt my dress pull itself up and over my head, leaving me in nothing but my undergarments. She likely used her telekinesis to remove it.  
She grabbed a fistfull of Rigel’s robes, and pulled him down onto the bed with her.  
“Emma, are you….” Rigel tried to say, but Emma smashed her lips against his, cutting him off.  
“No more talking.” She growled when she pulled back, and she began to tear open his robes.  
I smiled at the display, and snaked my arms around Emma’s waist from behind. I caressed her stomach and began planting kisses against the crook of her neck as she worked.  
She turned back to look at me, and I saw a fire dance in her eyes.  
Her lips found mine once more, and I lost myself in the embrace of my lovers.

(Emma)

I woke slowly. That was unusual in and of itself, it had never been difficult for me to get going in the mornings. What was more unusual, were the two bodies lying on either side of me as I slowly came to consciousness.  
I propped myself on my elbows in order to take in my bedmates, and recognized the slumbering forms of Selene on my right, and Rigel on my left.  
Everything came rushing back.  
Dairy Queen, the fragment of a god, Rigel’s origins, fighting Selene, the Phoenix Force, Selene and Rigel….  
I couldn’t have stopped the smile that lit up my face if I had tried.  
For decades I had been alone. I had intentionally kept everyone I met at arms length for fear of losing them, but now….now I needn’t worry about that ever again.  
Rigel stirred to my left.  
“Hrmm…. Emma? Is everything alright?” He rolled over to look up at me. “You’re crying.”  
I was?  
I reached up to my face, and sure enough, my hand came away moist.  
“Everything is fine. No, everything is perfect.” I leaned down and captured his lips. Where last night all our shared kisses had been hungry, this one was soft and content.  
“I’m glad.” Selene said from behind me.   
Her voice startled me, and I pulled away from Rigel reflexively to turn to face her.  
She grinned at me, then leaned in and stole a kiss of her own.  
Yes. Everything was perfect.


End file.
